A Shinigami in Sunnydale
by fmfan1980
Summary: Ichigo leaves Japan for school in Sunnydale, CA. USA. What's the worst that could happen? (Another attempt at writing a BtVS and Bleach Xover fanfic. Deleted the previous one since it sucked)
1. Before the Journey

**Disclaimer:**I do not own the characters, locations or plots from Buffy: The Vampire Slayer or Bleach. They are the properties of Mr. Whedon and Tite Kubo. This is just a work of fiction so yes I have made (and will make in the future) some changes to the details for each show. In other words, this entire piece is AU. All reviews are welcome.

**Series:** Occurs after the Lost Agent arc for Bleach and in Season 5 of BtVS.

**Karakura Town, Japan**

Ichigo Kurosaki had to face many things throughout his young life; from losing his mother when he was just a boy to growing up with his sisters and a crazy father to becoming a substitute shinigami, losing his powers during the Winter War against Sosuke Aizen, and then regaining his power once again thanks to a group called Xcution. As he stood over Karakura Town in his revamped shinigami uniform, he closed his eyes as he tried to sense for any hollows.

"Ichigo!" said the raven haired female shinigami who just appeared behind him

"Rukia" said Ichigo as he turned around

"What are you doing?" asked Rukia as she went to stand next to him, looking over the city

"Trying to sense for hollows" said Ichigo as Rukia started to laugh

"You know you suck at that, right?" said Rukia

"Oh shut up" replied Ichigo, "Doesn't mean I can't try right?"

"True" said Rukia smiling

"So what are you doing here Rukia?" said Ichigo, "Inoue asked you to come talk to me?"

"She told me what you are planning to do" said Rukia

"So what did she say?" said Ichigo

"That you're planning to leave Japan soon" said Rukia, "that you got admitted to an American university in a city called Sunnydale"

"That's all true" said Ichigo, "it's something I need to do. Even though my grades in high school are good, I still have to wait until next year before I can reapply to an university. The whole thing with Ginjo kinda made me lose track of what I had to do in the world of the living"

"Work part time then" said Rukia, "plus there are as many hollows in Japan as there are in America, you know"

"I know, I thought about taking part time jobs here" said Ichigo, "but that would mean taking some dead end jobs that I'll be miserable at"

"The truth is" continued Ichigo, "Inoue got into one of the best university's in Japan, and I'll be behind her by a year. I'm just scared that she'll think I'm some sort of a failure"

"Well you are an idiot" said Rukia to a surprised Ichigo, "but not in the way you think. Do you really think that she is that shallow? Do you think that just because you're a year behind that she'll think you're an idiot? I think that she'll think you're an idiot just because you think that"

"What?" said Ichigo confused

"You know what I mean" said Rukia as she looked away, "Idiot"

"I'm leaving tomorrow" said Ichigo quietly

"What?!" shouted Rukia, "does she know?"

"No" said Ichigo

"Oh you are such an idiot" exclaimed Rukia, "how could you?"

"Only my dad and my sisters know" said Ichigo, "well now so do you. I…. I just can't face her.. just to see the disappointment in her eyes. I'll be there for only a year and then I'll come back; and then I'll start fixing this whole mess I made"

"You really are an idiot Ichigo Kurosaki" said Rukia as she flash stepped away "and a jerk"

**Karakura Airport, the next day, 10:00am**

"Ichigo" said Isshin Kurosaki, Ichigo's father and former Shinigami, as he tilted his head to the left

Ichigo turned to his left to see who else but the friends he was set to leave behind without even a word of goodbye; Inoue, Chad, Tatsuki, Uryu, Mizuiro, Keigo and then came Rukia, Renji and Urahara.

It was Ichigo's childhood friend Tatsuki who walked up to him first, "Ichigo" she said just before giving him a very hard punch on his face, "you idiot"

"Tatsuki Chan" said Inoue as she looked on surprised

"Tatsuki" said Ichigo, "what was that for?"

"Oh you know what that was for you double crossing, moronic idiot" said Tatsuki as Chad and the others tried to hold her back.

"How could you even leave without saying goodbye to your friends?" continued Tatsuki as she calmed down, "not to mention how poor Inoue must be feeling"

"Can I speak to Inoue alone?" said Ichigo as he saw there was no way out of this mess now with all his friends here

"Hey look" said Ichigo's younger sister, Karin, "let's get some snacks… come on guys lets go get Ichi-nii something for the flight. Each person gets something delicious"

Soon everyone had gone leaving just Ichigo and Inoue alone, at least for a few more minutes

"Kurosaki-kun" said Inoue, "Rukia-san told me why you're going to America"

"I kinda guessed that" said Ichigo

"If that's how you really feel, then you should go" said Inoue to a surprised Ichigo, "just know that I would never have thought any less of you"

"I need to do this Inoue" said Ichigo as he stepped forward and held her hands. He ran his hand through her wavy burnt orange hair as he pulled her in for a tight hug.

"I'm sorry for being such an idiot" said Ichigo

"You should have told me Kurosaki-kun" whispered Inoue into his ear, "I'd have understood"

"I'll be back in a year" said Ichigo, "I promise"

"Ok" said Inoue as she stepped back smiling

"Hey lovebirds" said Renji

"Renji" said Ichigo as he shook the hands of the head haired Shinigami, "sorry about all this"

"Nah" said Renji, "but you do it again, Rukia said she'll use her Zanpaktou and freeze you solid"

"And then I'll crack the ice with you still in it" said Tatsuki as she and Karin handed him a bag of treats.

"Hey" said Ichigo as he looked inside the bag full of snacks and other treats, "it's not like I'm going to the moon or something"

"Kurosaki-san" said Urahara, "You have your Substitute Shinigami pass with you?"

"Yea" he said

"May I have it?" said Urahara

"OK" replied Ichigo as he reached into his pocket and handed his mentor the pass, "What are you going to do with it?"

"The Soul Society Research division has come up with some sort of universal translator" said Urahara as he stuck what looked like a chip on to the substitute badge before handing it back to Ichigo, "keep the badge on you at all times and it should automatically translate whatever words you hear into your native language"

"Oh that's cool" said Ichigo as he took back the badge from Urahara

"And here's a mobile phone" said Urahara, "the speed dials are all set to your house here, Inoue-San's home, the Soul Society telephone exchange and most importantly, my store. In case of emergencies, you understand"

"Wait Soul Society telephone exchange?" said Ichigo

"In case you need to call Kuchiki-san or Abarai for help" said Urahara

"Nah, what are the odds of something happening in a town with the name Sunnydale?" said Ichigo laughing

"Be very careful Kurosaki-san" said Urahara as he took on a more serious look, "Soul Society has been keeping a watch on that town, but so far nothing world threatening has happened yet. Call us if it's really bad"

"Thanks Urahara-san" said Ichigo as he accepted the mobile phone

Just then came the announcement that Ichigo's flight was ready to be boarded in forty five minutes.

"Goodbye Kurosaki-Kun" said Inoue as she gave the unsuspecting substitute shinigami a kiss which left him red faced and had the others look around into space nervously. Isshin had to cover the eyes of both his younger daughters while the kiss was going on.

"Wow" said Ichigo

"I'll miss you Kurosaki-Kun" said Inoue

"I'll call you once I'm at the dorms" said Ichigo as he looked at both Inoue and his family

"I'll probably meet up with you there sometime" said Renji

"You will?" said Ichigo

"Sure why not?" he replied, "Rukia's got Karakura Town as her sector, maybe I'll request Captain Kuchiki that he post me at Sunnydale for few days or so. I haven't patrolled anywhere in America yet"

"That would be cool Renji" said Ichigo as he went to give Tatsuki a hug

"If you don't call me" she said, "I'll go to Sunnydale and beat you up"

"As if you could" said Ichigo jokingly

"Have you talked to the lady who'll be your host mother while you're there?" said Isshin

"Of course I have" said Ichigo, "Her name is Joyce Summers and she has two daughters; the oldest is named Buffy, and she goes to the same university as me but will be living at home. The youngest is named Dawn and she goes to the High School there"

"What kind of a name is Buffy?" asked Renji

"It's a nice name" said Inoue as she turned back to Ichigo, "Be safe Kurosaki-Kun"

"I will" said Ichigo as he picked up his bags and got ready to go

"Kurosaki" said Uryu, "Don't do anything stupid"

"Thanks for the uplifting speech, Ishida" said Ichigo as he shook Uryu's hand

"The Quincy have also heard legends about this place you're going to" whispered Uryu, "Don't do anything stupid by yourself, that place can be very dangerous"

"Now, I know you're just trying to scare me Ishida" said Ichigo, "and it's not working"

"Ah well" said Uryu, "I did try to warn you"

"If I happen to come across something life threatening" said Ichigo, "I'll call"

"Be well Ichigo" said Chad

"I'll call you soon big guy" said Ichigo as he walked away to fly to a new city on another country


	2. Welcome to the Hellmouth, DeathBerry

**A/N:** Sorry I had made a mistake in the season of Buffy where this takes place. Its NOT season 4, its actually season 5 which was when Dawn was introduced. I've already made some minor changes in Chapter 1 to reflect that.

**Sunnydale Airport, 9:00pm**

"Come on mom" said Buffy as her mother, Joyce Summers, dragged her over to the airport to pick up one of the many international students who were part of U.C. Sunnydale's Host Family program, "why am I here? I'm supposed to be out patrolling tonight. You know all these things wont stop coming just because someone new is coming to town. Actually I think they increase"

"Buffy" said Joyce, "It's only proper to come and meet the young man who we'll be taking care off during the time he's here in Sunnydale"

"Yea Buff" said Dawn, "I bet he's cute"

"Dawn" said Buffy as she stared at her younger sister, "don't say things like that, you'll probably scare him back to Japan"

"I've already had the pleasure of talking to the young man and his father" said Joyce

"Really?" said Buffy, "so what's the news with him?"

"Well…." Said Joyce as she stopped, "maybe you should ask him when he comes in. But I know his dad owns a small family clinic and he's got two younger sisters"

"What's his name again mom?" said Dawn

"Its… ah… hold on" said Joyce as she reached for the name card that she had brought with her and held it in front of her chest, "Ichigo Kurosaki"

"Ichigo" said Dawn, "I like the name"

"You say that about everyone" whispered Buffy into her sister's ear, "I know how much you like Xander's name too"

"Buffy" said Dawn while her face became a shade of red

Just then, there was an announcement that a flight from Los Angeles had landed and that it would be a few more minutes before it arrived at the gate.

"Seems like that's the flight Ichigo's on" said Joyce, "his dad emailed me his itinerary before he left. He was supposed to take a flight from Japan to L.A and then from there, he's supposed to be on this flight to Sunnydale"

Ichigo waited impatiently on the plane as it taxied slowly to the gate area.

_'Oh come on'_ thought Ichigo to himself, _'this is so slow.'_

He breathed a sigh of relief when ten minutes later, the plane stopped at the gate and the pilot ordered that the doors be opened.

_'Oh thank you so much'_ thought Ichigo to himself as he quickly got up from his seat, took his carry-on and waited in the aisle for the line of people to move forward and out of the plane. Finally, before he deplaned he made sure that he had the substitute Shinigami badge with him.

_'Luckily no one other than those with a high reiatsu can see the badge'_ he thought to himself, '_or else I'd have a lot of explaining to do to Mrs. Summers.'_

With the line of people in the aisle slowly moving forward, Ichigo soon found himself at the gate area and looking at the signs on the ceiling, he slowly made his way to the baggage claim section where Joyce said she'll be waiting with Buffy and Dawn to pick him up.

As he made his way to the baggage claim area, he looked around him and noticed the high number of ghosts that were walking around just in the airport alone. He noticed that same had broken necks, bloodied chests, while others had little marks on their necks.

"Hello" said a boy of about ten years of age who tugged on Ichigo's orange jacket

"Hi" he replied

"You can see me can't you?" asked the boy

"Yes I can" replied Ichigo, "how come you haven't left this world?"

"Many of us are stuck here" said the boy

"Isnt there a Shinigami in Sunnydale?" asked Ichigo as he looked curiously at the boy

"Whats that?" he asked

"A Soul Reaper" said Ichigo, "you might say he's like the grim reaper"

"Oh like the skleton and the scythe?" said the boy as Ichigo looked on grinning

"Actually…" said Ichigo as he quickly stopped himself, "tell you what, I'll come by later on and help you move on to the Soul Society"

"What's that?" asked the boy

"It's heaven" said Ichigo

"So you're a grim reaper too?" asked the boy

"Kinda" said Ichigo smiling as he stood up. It was then he noticed that the boy's chain of fate was almost gone. There was only a short strand remaining and Ichigo knew that the remaining links in the chain would disappear soon, leaving only a hollow hole in the boys chest.

"I promise I'll be back here tonight" said Ichigo, "what's your name?"

"It's Jake"

"Alright Jake" said Ichigo, "In the meantime I need for you to relax ok"

"OK" said Jake

"I'll see you later" said Ichigo as he stood up to and walked towards the baggage area

_'There's something wrong with this town'_ thought Ichigo to himself, '_maybe Urahara-san was right. And why isn't there a Shinigami here to take care of all of these ghosts? Don't tell me that there is a hollow infestation here because of these ghosts who haven't moved on.'_

As he was thinking about all the scenarios that could happen with any potential hollows, he found himself in the baggage area where there were a multitude of people waiting for new arrivals.

'_Umm… Mrs Summers said that she'll be waiting here'_ thought Ichigo to himself, '_I wonder where she….. oh… there she is'_

Ichigo gave a small wave to the blonde woman who was carrying a card bearing his name alongside two young women.

_'Those must be her daughters'_ thought Ichigo to himself as he approached them

"Hey" said Dawn, "that must be him"

"You mean the young man waving to us?" said Joyce, "it could be, yeah it is…. He's coming towards us"

"What do you know?" said Dawn as she stared at Buffy, "he's cute"

"Plus he's too old for you" said Buffy, "what's with his hair though, who on Earth keeps their hair orange and spiky"

"Come on girls" said Joyce as she looked at both her daughters, "here he comes"

"Mrs Summers?" said Ichigo as he approached the group of three females

"HI Ichigo" said Joyce as she stepped forward, "please call me Joyce"

"OK, Joyce" said Ichigo as he gave her a slight before shaking her hand

"And these are my daughters" said Joyce as she turned around and motioned to the girls standing behind her, "this is Buffy, my oldest daughter and here's Dawn, my youngest"

"Nice to meet you Buffy, Dawn" said Ichigo as he gave them a slight bow as well before shaking their hands.

As he shook Dawn's hand, he felt a feeling of electricity going up his hand and then his arm.

_'What's going on?'_ thought Ichigo to himself as she smiled at Dawn

"Nice to finally meet you Ichigo" said Buffy, "mum was excited the past few days at the prospect of meeting you"

"Thank you… Joyce" said Ichigo

"Your English is pretty good" said Dawn

"Dawn!" said Joyce and Buffy as they stared at the younger girl

"What?" said Dawn as she looked at them confused, "I just gave him a compliment"

"Thank you Dawn" said Ichigo, "I practised a lot"

"See" said Dawn before she turned back to face Ichigo, "I knew you'd take that as a compliment"

"I have" said Ichigo smiling as he thought to himself, '_thanks to Soul Society'_

"Alright Ichigo" said Joyce, "how about we go get your bags and then go home"

"Wouldn't it be better if we went directly to the dorms on campus?" said Ichigo, "I really don't want to trouble you by staying at your home for the night"

"Nonsense" said Joyce, "the dorm offices are closed by now and you're not staying in a hotel when you have a host family here"

"Come on Ichigo" said Dawn as she grabbed a hold of his hand and pulled him towards the baggage claim conveyor belts

"Dawn's excited" said Buffy as she saw Ichigo struggling to keep up with her younger sister.

"He seems like a nice boy, don't you think?" asked Joyce and she looked at Buffy smiling.

"Come on mum" said Buffy, "I already have Riley, and why are you trying to play matchmaker?"

"Well, Ichigo seems more of a normal boy than Riley, don't you think?" said Joyce as the both of them walked towards where Ichigo and Dawn were standing.

"Yea, but then I love Riley" said Buffy, "and anyway, he's always there to help me during my patrols and he has the experience. Why do you want to subject a stranger to the supernatural?"

"I worry about you" said Joyce, "You need something stable in your life, and I'm not always going to be here you know."

"Oh come on mom" said Buffy just as Dawn and Ichigo walked towards them after collecting his bags.

"Joyce" said Ichigo, "I'm ready and thank you again."

"Nonsense Ichigo" said Joyce, "let's go home then shall we."

**The Summers Residence, 10:00pm**

"You have a very nice house" said Ichigo as he stepped into the two storey house with his two bags

"Thank you Ichigo" said Joyce as she closed the door behind her after Buffy and Dawn stepped inside the house.

"Ichigo" said Joyce, "for tonight, you'll be sleeping in Dawn's room"

"Joyce" said Ichigo, "It's alright, there's no need for further trouble. I can just take the couch"

"Come on Ichigo" said Buffy as she helped pick up one of the bags, "trust me, there's no sense in trying to argue with my mother"

"Listen to her" said Joyce with a smile, "and don't worry, Dawn will be sleeping in my room"

"Umm… alright" said Ichigo as he picked up the other bag and followed Buffy up the stairs to Dawn's room

"Here it is" said Buffy, "sorry about the 'Dawnness' of the room"

"Nah, its alright" said Ichigo, "I have two younger sisters, Karin and Yuzu"

"Neat" said Buffy, "maybe someday you can show us their pictures?"

"Sure" said Ichigo, "well once I've charged up my phone"

"You need a charger?" asked Buffy

"I got one" said Ichigo, "but thanks though"

"Anyway" said Buffy, "I've actually gotta go out and meet some friends, hope you don't mind"

"Nah" said Ichigo, "it's ok"

"You wanna come to a club called the Bronze? I'm meeting some friends" said Buffy while she thought to herself, '_Please say no, I'm actually going patrolling and I really don't need a civilian coming along.'_

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm already feeling the effects of jetlag" said Ichigo, "thanks though"

_'I really need to get back to the airport and perform a soul burial for Jake'_ thought Ichigo to himself

"Alright then" said Buffy, "have a good night; I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning. How about I take you to the university dorms tomorrow?"

"Sure" said Ichigo, "That would be great"

"Alright then" said Buffy as she left the room

"You're flirting with him aren't you" whispered an angry Dawn

"Come off it Dawn" said Buffy, "in case you've forgotten, I already have Riley. Plus he's too old for you"

"Age can be over looked" said Dawn

"I'll tell mom" said Buffy

"You wouldn't" replied Dawn

"Wanna bet?" said Buffy smiling

"Mom!" shouted Buffy as Dawn looked on in horror

"Yes?" said Joyce as she quickly walked out of the dining room

"Guess what?" said Buffy as she stared at Dawn before grinning at her mother, "I'm going patrolling, I'll be back later"

"I'm gonna kill you for almost giving me a heart attack" whispered Dawn to Buffy

"You wouldn't" smiled Buffy

"You sure you have to go" asked Joyce, "maybe you should stay and keep Ichigo company?"

"He said he's going to sleep" said Buffy, "Jet lag"

"Oh" said Joyce

"Anyway, I'll see you guys later then" said Buffy as she ran out the door.

A few minutes after Buffy had gotten out of the house, Ichigo walked down the stairs to see Joyce sitting on the couch with Dawn. The both of them were watching TV.

"Mrs. Summers…. I mean Joyce, sorry" said Ichigo sheepishly, "I'll actually be going to sleep, I think I'm suffering from jetlag"

"You should have a bit to eat Ichigo" said Joyce

"Thank you" said Ichigo, "but I don't think I can even lift my hand to my mouth, I'm that tired"

"If you're sure" said Joyce

"Yes" said Ichigo, "Have a good night Joyce….. Dawn"

"Good night" said Dawn and Joyce together

Ichigo walked up the stairs and closed the door to Dawn's room and sat on the bed. As he was sitting down, he popped a circular looking pill into his mouth. The next thing he knew, he had slipped out of his own body wearing his Shinigami uniform with Zangetsu strapped to his back.

"Kon" whispered Ichigo, "Get some sleep, don't get out this room do you understand?"

"Why?" said Kon, "come on, we're in America and all you can think about is work? I wanna go out and have fun"

"Not tonight Kon" said Ichigo, "we're in my host family's home, so you will behave yourself. I swear, If you leave this room in my body, I will flush you down the toilet. Or stuff you into one of these soft toys here"

"Ok ok" said Kon, "I swear I won't leave this room"

"Good" said Ichigo as he opened the window, "I'll be back soon"

"Ok" said Kon as Ichigo used his flash step to leave the Summers house. However, Ichigo missed Kon's grin that was plastered on his face, "I did say I won't leave this room" said Kon to himself, "at least not until you've gone".

Then Kon, in Ichigo's body, opened the door and went down the stairs.

**Sunnydale Airport, 11:00pm**

After a few flash steps, Ichigo reached the hospital. As he looked down from where he was standing in the sky, he could sense great evil all around him.

"Seriously" he told himself, "What is wrong with this city?"

Then all of a sudden, he heard a scream from outside the terminal building.

"Help me!" screamed a voice that Ichigo had remembered very well from earlier that day.

He looked down towards the entrance and saw Jake being chased by three hollows.

Jake was running harder than he ever ran when he was alive. He recalled just hanging around the entrance for the guy with the orange hair, the one who said that he was the grim reaper before he heard a horrifying scream behind him. Turning around, he heard one scream become two and then three screams. That was when three white masked creatures landed in front of him. The three of them licked what would have been their lips as they slowly started moving towards him. Feeling a great sense of fear, Jake simply ran out of the airport building with the three masked creatures following him like a predator follows its prey just before pouncing and killing it.

All of a sudden, he felt a breeze and before he knew it he was being carried in the air. Looking down he could see and hear the three creatures snarling and growling.

"Hey kid" said Ichigo to Jake

"It's you" said Jake, "you really came?"

"Of course, I promised didn't I?" said Ichigo as he smiled at the ghost of the small boy, "Ichigo Kurosaki, substitute Shinigami…. At your service"

"Listen" said Ichigo, "I'll leave you on the roof top while I take care of those three alright?"

"OK" said Jake as he trembled

"Be brave little man" said Ichigo as he landed on the rooftop, "I'll perform the soul burial right after they're taken care of, they can't be allowed to roam free. They could hurt other spirits"

"Ok" said Jake as Ichigo flashed stepped towards the three hollows

Jake quickly ran to the edge of the roof where he saw Ichigo simply appear out of nowhere in front of the three creatures. He then saw Ichigo reached behind him and take out the largest sword he ever saw.

"Alright guys" said Ichigo with Zangetsu in his hand, "who's first?"

Just as he finished speaking two of the three hollows ran towards Ichigo just as the third hollow caught the scent of Jake who was on the roof.

"Shit" said Ichigo to himself, "Stupid Ichigo"

Ichigo ran towards the two hollows coming towards him before he flash stepped over them and landed in front of the third one that was heading towards Jake. He then flash stepped toward the third one while at the same time drawing Zangetsu back and slashing the hollow's mask through with it.

"Two to go" said Ichigo to himself as he flashed stepped towards the other two hollow and slashed the both of them easily with Zangetsu. "Ok" said Ichigo to himself as he put Zangetsu back onto its rightful place on his back, "That was too easy"

"Maybe living here will always be like this?" said Ichigo as he turned back and flash stepped to the roof where he left Jake.

"That was cool" said Jake

"Alright kid" said Ichigo, "let's get you to Soul Society huh"

"Do I get to be like you?" said Jake

"Are you hungry?" asked Ichigo

"Huh?" said Jake confused, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just humour me" said Ichigo

"Kinda" said Jake

"That means you have some spirit power" said Ichigo, "usually those spirits who become Shinigami can get hungry, which means that they have spirit power. If you can, look for Rukia Kuchiki when you get to soul society. She's a good friend of mine and the lieutenant of the thirteenth division"

"Ok" said Jake as he looked at Ichigo take out his sword

"Ready kid?" asked Ichigo

"Yes" said Jake as Ichigo stamped his forehead with the hilt of Zangetsu.

"Goodbye kid" said Ichigo, "Go to heaven already"

Once the soul burial was complete, Ichigo saw a black butterfly take off into the sky and disappear.

"This is strange" said Ichigo to himself as he took off and stood in the sky, "where are the other ghosts? I saw so many when I came in"

Just then, Ichigo changed direction quickly when he left a very strong reiatsu.

"What is that?" said Ichigo to himself as he flash stepped to where the reiatsu was coming from.

"This is a graveyard" said Ichigo to himself as he looked on below from where he stood in the air, "looks like the reiatsu is coming from that guy in the fancy clothes looking at the blonde haired girl"

"Wait a second" continued Ichigo surprised as he looked on, "Buffy?!"


	3. The Shinigami, The Slayer and Dracula

**Graveyard, Sunnydale, 11:00pm**

"This is an unexpected development" said the fancy dressed man as he sensed Ichigo looking down at him from the sky

"Who are you taking to?" said Buffy as she looked around and into the air before staring back at the vampire who introduced himself as Dracula, "since you're talking to yourself, I'd have to say that you're a crazy vampire…. Although I don't know how that's different to all the others.. but still"

"Silence" hissed Dracula

"Hey" said Buffy as she prepared a stake, "don't have a hissy fit"

"We will continue our little chat when we are alone my dear" said Dracula as he stepped forward and cupped her face

"Uhhhh… yea… sure" said Buffy confused as she thought to herself, "what's going on with me? Why am I compelled to answer him?"

"Get away from her" said Ichigo as he landed and approached Dracula with Zangetsu in his hand

"Ah" said Dracula as he looked between Buffy and Ichigo, "looks like the Slayer has a guardian angel"

"What?" said Buffy as she got back to her senses and back flipped a few feet away from Dracula, "what are you talking about? What guardian angel? It's just you and me here"

"You cannot see him?" said Dracula, "how unfortunate"

"Wait" said Ichigo, "did she just call you Dracula? As in vampire? The Prince of Darkness?"

"I am he" said Dracula

"Cool" said Ichigo

"You are not amazed?" he said surprised

"Dude" said Ichigo, "I've been fighting hollows for so long and having seen spirits since I was young that I'm not really surprised by anything anymore"

"Hey" said Buffy, "You know what… it's kinda rude to ignore a slayer with a stake in hand"

"Ok, my mistake" said Ichigo as he turned and looked at Buffy, "What's a Slayer?"

"You don't know do you?" said Dracula

"Dude!" shouted Buffy, "who are you talking to?"

"A Shinigami" said Dracula as he smiled at Buffy

"A what? Origami?" said Buffy surprised as she looked around her but could not see anyone else

"A Soul Reaper" said Dracula as he misted his body while Buffy launched a surprise attack on him

"A Soul Reaper?" said Buffy as her stake went right through where Dracula's chest would have been.

Just then, as her back was turned, Dracula reformed behind her just as Buffy's elbow spun back and hit him in the face, sending the Prince of Darkness flying backwards onto a headstone.

Ichigo walked towards Buffy as he saw her attack and looked amazed, "Who are you Buffy?" thought Ichigo to himself

"You are amazed are you not?" said Dracula as he looked at Ichigo

With Zangetsu in hand, Ichigo stood next to Buffy as he stared down Dracula, "You know what I am so you know what Shinigami can do. Get out of this place, or you'll feel the touch of my blade"

"You will not be able to protect her" said Dracula as he smiled at Ichigo

"Hey I don't need protection you overdressed clown" said Buffy as she stared at Dracula. However, she started to feel a cold chill beside her and she stared at the empty space next to her confused.

"She's right" said Ichigo as he stared at Buffy, "she looks like she can take care of herself, but right here and right now, I'll take action if she's harmed"

"She'll be mine" hissed Dracula, "and you will not be able to do a thing. She will be mine willingly"

"Hey" said Buffy, "I'm right here you know"

"Yes" said Dracula with a sinister smile, "Yes you are, but for now I will say farewell. But you will be mine Buffy Summers; you know in your dark heart that you will be mine"

"Get out of here" said Ichigo as he flash stepped right to Dracula's face

"Such power" said Dracula, "I can smell it, raw and untapped. Just like her"

"Get out" said Ichigo, "Or else I'd have to show you my own darker nature"

"For now, I will withdraw" said Dracula as he gave a smile, "I never fail Shinigami, she will be mine"

Buffy watched curiously as Dracula talked to an unseen being when suddenly he turned away from her and transformed into a bat before flying away.

"That was the weirdest thing I've ever, ever encountered" said Buffy to herself, "I need to ask Giles about this origami… Soul Reaper…. business. Don't tell me it's another big bad that's come to town"

"I'm not a big bad" said Ichigo as he turned around to face Buffy, who was looking right through him literally. "I know you can't see or hear me" said Ichigo as he looked into her eyes, "I'm curious now, what are you Buffy? What's a Slayer? Umm… maybe Urahara-san will know. Anyway, I'll try and help you when I'm not battling hollows; they are my responsibility after all, and it looks like vampires are your responsibility. Good night Buffy"

Ichigo then leapt high up into the air and looked down towards the blonde girl again as she looked around her scratching her head. Just then, Ichigo heard another girl calling for Buffy.

"Buffy!" shouted Willow who was followed closely by Xander, "What happened?"

"Well" said Buffy as she looked at the red head confused, "I just met Dracula"

"No way!" said Xander, "really? Dracula? Please tell me he said 'Let me suck your blooood'"

"Was he cool?" asked Willow excitedly, "oh he must have been cool. Wait, did he become like a bat or anything like in the movies?"

"Yea" said Buffy as she looked around her surroundings

"Umm… Buff?" said Xander, "You ok?"

"No" said Buffy

"What's up?" asked Willow

"Suddenly Dracula started talking to someone who wasn't there" said Buffy

"Huh?" said Xander, "maybe he's a nutty vampire who thinks he's Dracula?"

"I don't think so" said Buffy, "I mean he did do that changing into a bat routine"

Suddenly Willow felt a powerful presence close to her.

"Do you guys feel that?" asked Willow as she looked around

"Feel what?" asked Buffy and Xander

"It's weird" said Willow, "feels very chilly"

"I had that same feeling too" said Buffy

"It's coming from….." Willow stopped talking as she slowly looked up and gasped as she stepped back

"Will?" said Buffy as she walked towards her best friend

"Willow?" asked Xander

"You don't see him?" said Willow as she pointed to the sky

"See who?" said Buffy and Xander

"I can see someone in a black robe standing right there" said Willow amazed

Ichigo was surprised when the red headed girl looked up and pointed at him.

_'This is interesting'_ thought Ichigo to himself as he quickly flash stepped away from the scene, '_That girl Buffy called Willow seems to have spiritual powers. I even felt a slight spiritual pressure coming from her. Nothing like Rukia's or Byakuya's spiritual pressure; or mine for that matter, but it's still there.'_

Suddenly, Ichigo heard the scream of a hollow and so he changed direction mid-air and went to battle the white masked terror.

"I think I'm gonna like this town" said Ichigo to himself

Meanwhile in the graveyard, Willow was looking at the now empty space in amazement.

"He disappeared" said Willow as she looked at the sky

"Can you describe him?" asked Buffy

"I just caught a glimpse before he was gone" said Willow, "I just saw the black robes"

"Dracula said that he was an origami or something?" said Buffy

"Origami?" said Willow and Xander

"I know right?" said Buffy, "he called it a Soul Reaper"

"Maybe we should talk to Giles about this" said Willow, "Soul Reaper; just the name sounds like a big bad"

"Yeah" replied Buffy, "we can go tomorrow afternoon. I gotta head home and help the new student from Japan get settled into the dorms"

"Oh yeah" said Willow, "your house guest for the night"

"Does he know karate and stuff?" asked Xander excitedly

"Xander" said Buffy and Willow together

"What?" said Xander

As they were walking away, Willow heard a loud unearthly scream coming from the distance.

"Do you guys hear that?" asked Willow

"Hear what?" asked Buffy and Xander as they looked at each other.

"There" said Willow as she heard the same scream again which was suddenly cut off in mid scream, "it's gone now"

"Will" said Xander, "let's get you home huh?"

"Yea Willow" said Buffy, "I think all of us need some sleep"


	4. Deathberry meets the Witches

**The Summers' Residence, 05:00am**

Ichigo was heading back to the Summers house after a late night of fighting and defeating four other hollows. As he flash stepped back to the house, he kept on think about Buffy and what Dracula referred to her as.

"You seem strong Buffy" said Ichigo to himself, "I'm very curious about you now. What makes you the Slayer? Hell what is a Slayer anyway? I should remind myself to ask Urahara-san about this"

He was also thinking about the red headed girl who seemed to have pointed at him at the graveyard, 'I_ hope she didn't see my face, at least not until I find out what's going on here_'

As he got closer to the house, he noticed Kon was on the rooftop waving at him.

"Ichigo" whispered Kon

"Yo" said Ichigo as he landed softly on the rooftop, "has Buffy come back yet?"

"Yeah" replied Kon, "She came back like four hours ago"

"I see" said Ichigo

"Listen, I went out to the hallway after you left" admitted Kon

"You did what?" whispered Ichigo angrily

"I'm sorry" said Kon, "but you should thank me for finding out some information about the girl"

"I know about Buffy" said Ichigo

"What about Buffy?" said Kon

"Wait a second" said Ichigo, "Who are you talking about?"

"The younger one" said Kon smirking as he quickly changed the subject, "What about Buffy do you know? You know what she likes to wear?"

"What?" said Ichigo, "No! You're an idiot….. Now, tell me about the younger sister"

"I went down the stairs just to take a peek at what they were doing, the mother and the sister I mean" whispered Kon, "don't worry they didn't see me"

"Continue" said Ichigo who had his arms folded on his chest

"The sister had a strange greenish aura around her" said Kon, "it looked like some sort of energy that's been compressed and trying to get out. Kinda like its leaking out of her but her body is reabsorbing it back into her"

"There's something strange about this family" said Ichigo

"What do you mean?" asked Kon

"Have you ever heard of a Slayer?" asked Ichigo

"A Slayer?" said Kon as he scratched his head, "no…. I don't think so. Why?"

"Never mind" said Ichigo as he slapped the back of his physical body and grabbed the circular pill that came out. He then slipped back into his body and climbed back through the window into his/Dawn's room before he lay down on the bed as he thought to himself about the events on his first day in Sunnydale.

**Summers Residence, next morning, 08:00am**

Joyce had walked up the stairs and stopped outside Dawn's room where Ichigo was fast asleep.

_'I hope I'm not being too rude'_ thought Joyce to herself

"Good morning Ichigo" said Joyce as she knocked on the door

Joyce tried not to laugh as she heard Ichigo fall out of bed and then hit something on the way to open the door.

"Sorry Joyce" said Ichigo, "I'm afraid I slept late because of the jet lag"

"That's perfectly understandable Ichigo" said Joyce, "but you should freshen up and come have breakfast"

"Oh" said Ichigo, "you didn't have to go to all that trouble, I could have just made something myself"

"It's no problem at all" said Joyce with a smile, "I'm sure your mom cooks breakfast for you as well at home"

"Uh…. No" said Ichigo as his face reflected the loss he felt the day his mother died after being killed by a hollow

Noticing the look on his face, Joyce knew that she hit a nerve, "I'm sorry if I brought some memories I shouldn't have" she said

"No" said Ichigo as he smiled at Joyce, "I'll be right out and freshen up"

"Alright Ichigo" said Joyce as she turned and went down the stairs and turned to the kitchen where Buffy and Dawn were already having their breakfast

"Hey mom" said Dawn, "Is Ichigo awake?"

"Yea" said Joyce

"What's wrong?" asked Buffy as she noticed a weird look on her mother's face

"It's nothing" said Joyce

"Mooom" said Buffy as she raised an eyebrow and stared at her mother

"I think I may have said the wrong thing to Ichigo" whispered Joyce

"What do you mean?" asked Dawn

"I mentioned his mother" whispered Joyce, "and he suddenly had this faraway look in his eyes"

"You think something happened?" asked Buffy

"I don't know" replied Joyce in a whisper

"We could just ask him" said Dawn

"As me what?" asked Ichigo as he appeared right behind them

"Oh nothing" said Joyce as she handed him a plate of pancake

"Actually we were wondering what your plans were for today" said Dawn

"Well, I've been thinking I need to get my room, buy some things for the place, register for classes and then go around town" said Ichigo as he took a bite of a pancake, "this is very good Joyce, better than what my sister makes"

"Your sister?" asked Dawn

"Yea" said Ichigo, "Yuzu's the chef of the family, she always has something ready after we get back from work or school"

"That's pretty neat" said Buffy as she stared at Dawn, "You have a sister that cooks. Think you can introduce her to Dawn?"

"Hey" said Dawn as she huffed at her sister

"That's enough" said Joyce as she stared at both her daughters, "Dawn, get ready for school. Xander should be picking you up very soon. Buffy, you too. You should help Ichigo find his way around the campus"

"It's alright Joyce" said Ichigo as he smiled at the blonde woman, "I'll be fine on my own, anyway I'm sure that Buffy has her own plans"

"Actually mom, I'm supposed to be meeting Riley later" said Buffy, "we're supposed to be discussing something that happened at work"

"Oh" said Joyce as she figured out what Buffy was trying to say. She knew that in front of strangers and guests, that the word 'work' meant Buffy's slayer duties.

"I'm guessing this Riley is a co-worker of yours?" asked Ichigo as he smiled on the inside.

'_I've done the same tricks as you'_ thought Ichigo to himself, _'before Tatsuki and the others found out about me being a Shinigami'_

"Yeah" said Buffy, "he works part time at my job"

"Yeah" said Dawn as she came down the stairs all dressed up for school, "Riley's also Buffy's smoochy pal"

Dawn puckered her lips at Buffy as Ichigo tried hard not to laugh at the sight of Buffy's face turning beet red.

"Dawn" shouted Buffy as her younger sister continued to make faces at Buffy

Just then, there was the sound of a car honking, "alright Dawn, don't torture your sister anymore. Xander's here so go to school"

"Alright" said Dawn before turning to Ichigo, "You know if Buffy's too busy to show you around, I think I'll be able to sacrifice some of my free time"

"Dawn!" shouted Buffy and Joyce, "stop making the poor boy uncomfortable"

"Ok ok" said Dawn as she got her backpack and ran to Xander's car, "see you later Ichigo"

"See ya" said Ichigo as he waved at the young girl

"I'm sorry" said Joyce as she took the empty plate from Ichigo, "I'm afraid my youngest troublemaker has a slight crush on you"

"It'll pass" laughed Ichigo as he thought about Karin and Hitsugaya, "Karin, my younger sister, has a slight crush on a co-worker of mine and he's much, much older"

"I guess it's that age huh" said Joyce

"Yep" said Ichigo

"So are you ready to go?" asked Joyce, "I'll drop the both of you on campus before I have to get to work"

"Where do you work?" asked Ichigo

"I own an art gallery here" said Joyce just as Buffy came back down from her room in a change of clothes.

Ichigo noticed that while this morning Buffy was wearing a tank top at breakfast, she changed her outfit to a shirt along with a scarf that covered her neck.

'_That's not right'_ thought Ichigo to himself as he felt a familiar reiatsu coming from Buffy.

"Ichigo" said Buffy, "How about you get your bags and I'll help you put them into mom's car"

"Yeah sure" said Ichigo as he walked past Buffy to go up the stairs

He turned around almost immediately and walked up to Buffy, "is everything alright?" he asked

"Yea" said Buffy as she tried to fix up her scarf, "just haven't been feeling well"

"Oh" said Ichigo, "just thought you seemed a bit off I guess, just a weird feeling I get sometimes"

"I'm doing fine" said Buffy smiling

"Anyway, I should get my stuff down to Joyce's car" nodded Ichigo as he walked up to get his bags

"Need help?" said Buffy after him

"Nah" replied Ichigo, "I got it"

**U.C. Sunnydale, Ichigo's Room, 03:00pm**

After hours of standing in line at the housing office, filling out paper work, registering for classes and other administrative tasks, Ichigo had finally arrived in his room at the dorms.

'_Thankfully I asked for a single room'_ thought Ichigo to himself, _'would definitely help with my Shinigami duties'_

Ichigo broke out of his own thoughts when he heard someone knocking on his door.

"Hello" he said as he opened the door to the red headed girl from the grave yard last night and another girl who was behind her

"Hi" said the red head, "I'm Willow"

"Hi" said the other girl nervously, "I'm Tara"

"Hello" said Ichigo as he shook their hands, "I'm Ichigo"

Ichigo noticed that Tara was looking at him strangely after she shook his hand

'_Looks like you have some reiatsu as well as Willow'_ thought Ichigo to himself_, 'I guess that would mean you can see me in my Shinigami form.'_

"We know" said Willow

"Huh?" replied Ichigo confused as he looked at Willow

"I mean Buffy told us that you were coming" said Willow as she handed him a plate of cookies, "so we thought that we'd give you a nice welcome"

"Thank you" said Ichigo as he bowed to the two young women

"Listen, we're going out to a club called the Bronze later on" said Willow, "would you like to join us?"

"Sure" said Ichigo as he glanced at Tara who, herself, was trying to steal glances at Ichigo

"Cool" said Willow, "I guess we'll see you there tonight"

Alright" said Ichigo as he put the cookies on a table and walked out of his room, "In the meantime, I should head out and get some supplies"

"Whatever you do, don't get anything from the shops on campus" said Willow, "they mark up the prices by almost three hundred percent"

Ichigo couldn't help but laugh

"Sure" he said, "Thank you for the tip"

"Alright" said Willow as she held Tara's hand, "I guess we'll leave you to it then"

"See you later" said Ichigo

"Willow" said Tara, "you should go first; I'd like to ask Ichigo about Japan. I mean I've always wanted to go there"

"Well" said Ichigo as he laughed and scratched his head, "It would be nice to have some company since I really don't know where the shops here are"

"Ok then" said Willow. She then before turned to Tara and whispered to her, "I'll be at Giles' place, I need to ask him about that thing Xander and I saw last night as well as that other thing in the sky I told you about"

"Alright" said Tara smiling at Willow, "I'll meet you there then"

Tara watched as Willow walked away before turning to look at Ichigo

"Tara?" asked Ichigo as she continued to look him with a mixture of emotions

"I'm sorry" said Tara nervously as they walked towards the elevators, "I don't mean to freak you out or anything but I was wondering if you could answer a question for me"

"Ummm….. ok?" said Ichigo as he scratched his head wondering what was going on

"Are you human?" asked Tara quietly

"Huh?" said Ichigo, "What do you mean?"

"Well" said Tara, "I can see a person's aura and yours just doesn't seem right"

"I really don't know what you're talking about" said Ichigo

'_She sees auras?' _thought Ichigo to himself, _"this really is an interesting city"_

"Are you a demon?" asked Tara softly as they walked out of the dorm

"No" said Ichigo as he laughed, "I'm just a normal human boy"

"Maybe you've been cursed?" said Tara as she tried to keep up the pace with the fast moving Ichigo

"I'd have known if I was cursed" Ichigo as he stopped walked and smiled at Tara

"Not always" said Tara, "look Willow and I practice Wicca, so we can help to dispel a curse. I mean if that's what you want"

"Don't worry Tara" said Ichigo, "trust me, I'm not cursed"

"Maybe you're sick?" asked Tara

"I'm feeling as healthy as a horse" replied Ichigo as he nodded his head sideways, "so, shall we go shopping?"

"Yes" said Tara before she stopped again, "I'm sorry"

"For?" asked Ichigo

"I didn't mean to invade your privacy like that" she replied nervously

"Nah" said Ichigo, "Don't worry about it, it's nice that you think about the well being of a complete stranger"

'_Do I tell her about me being a Shinigami?' _thought Ichigo to himself, _'can she and her friends be trusted?"_


	5. Tara and the Hollow

**Giles' Apartment, 5:00pm**

"So Giles" said Buffy as she had this far away look in her eyes as she recalled how Dracula had appeared in her room.

"Buffy?" asked Giles

"Buff?" said Xander, "You thinking about the dark master?"

Everyone then turned and looked questioningly at Xander, "you know….. bater"

"You alright Xander?" asked Willow

"Yeah" replied Xander, "just wondering how we can stop the lord of darkness"

"Seriously?" asked Willow, "you alright?"

"Willow" said Buffy, "why don't you to talk to Giles about what I told you about last night, I need to go outside for awhile"

Buffy was feeling lost, as if there was something missing from her life.

'_What's wrong with me' _She thought to herself, '_it's like I'm craving Dracula, that I should go to him and stay with him.. no….it can't be that I'm under his thrall… there's no way…."_

"Buffy" said Riley as he approached her and started to talk about what was going on

Meanwhile, inside the apartment, Willow had finished talking to Giles about what Buffy had told her last night about Dracula and the mysterious being he seemed to be talking to.

"Buffy said Dracula called this person an origami?" said Giles, "That doesn't make any sense"

"Japanese paper folding?" said Xander confused as he spotted another spider on the table, which he promptly used his hand to grab and then put it into his mouth when he was unnoticed by the rest of the Scoobies, "doesn't sound like an effective name for a big bad"

"No" said Willow, "she said that Dracula called it a Soul Reaper"

"OK" said Xander as he pointed to Willow, "now that's a name of a big bad"

"Soul Reaper?" said Giles, "you mean Grim Reaper"

"Nope" said Willow, "Buffy definitely said Soul Reaper"

"That's odd" said Giles as he got up and walked to a book case, "the council has heard of them before, they're known as Shinigami, which is Japanese for Death Gods. But they're only supposed to be a myth, they don't exist"

"You sure?" said Willow, "I mean I felt something when I was at the graveyard yesterday with Buffy and then when I looked up in the sky, I saw someone just standing in the air in black robes, then whoever it was simply vanished"

"Vanished?" said Giles as he looked up from the book he was looking at

"Yeah, just vanished" repeated Willow as she snapped her fingers, "poof, just like that"

"Poof?" said Giles as he took his glasses into his hands

"So" said Xander as he tried to act normal without trying referring to Dracula who had put the poor boy under his thrall the previous night after the graveyard incident.

"I guess Dracula won't be much of a problem, this Soul Reaper fella seems more dangerous than the da…. I mean Dracula" said Xander

"I think Dracula poses a much bigger danger for now, for Buffy at least" said Giles, "I'll need to study my books and find out more about this Shinigami"

Giles then turned to Anya, "Anya? You're being awfully quiet"

"Huh?" said Anya as she jerked her face upwards towards Giles

"I said you're being awfully quiet" said Giles

"Yea" said Willow, "I mean you were extremely talkative about how you knew Dracula"

"Are you sure he said Soul Reaper?" asked Anya as she looked at Willow

"That's what Buffy said Dracula called it" replied Willow

"What do you know?" asked Giles as he sat on the coffee table in front of Anya

"They're death" said Anya as her face turned white

"D'uh" said Willow, "I mean their name translate to Death Gods"

"No I mean, I heard stories from other demons that Soul Reapers drag souls away to hell. Even the ones who didn't do anything are sent to hell by them" said Anya

"That really doesn't make any sense" said Giles as he looked at Willow

"I just want them to stay away from me" said Anya

"Have you ever seen one before?" asked Giles

"I know other Vengeance Demons that have" said Anya, "they usually come out of thin air, wearing these black and sometimes white robes and then the next thing you know; you're gone and being sent to hell"

Giles, not having seen Anya like this, told her "It's alright; we won't let anyone harm you"

"Yeah Ahn" said Xander

"Listen guys" said Riley who had just returned to the room, "we have a problem, I think Buffy's in Dracula's thrall plus she's been bitten"

"What?" said Giles as he got up and walked towards the Slayer

Giles moved the scarf away slightly as he saw the two puncture wounds on her neck.

"Buffy" said Giles, "why didn't you tell us?"

"I don't know" said Buffy quietly

"Alright" said Giles, "let's leave this whole Soul Reaper thing for later, our first concern needs to be Buffy's well being"

"Soul Reaper?" asked Riley

"Long Story, much of which we're not even sure of" said Giles

"Anyway, we need to keep Buffy away from Dracula somehow" said Willow

"She can stay with me and Anya" said Xander excitedly

"Sure" said Buffy

"Alright then" said Riley, "the rest of us can go check out the abandoned posh digs that Willow was talking about. Anyone of them could be Dracula's hideout"

"I'll go meet up with Tara and Dawn" said Willow, "they're supposed to have finished helping the new international student with his shopping. They told me he's treating them to some ice cream at the park"

"Oh" said Giles, "Buffy was telling me about him, something about a program from U. 's international student center right? Something about the Summers family playing host to an international student from Japan?"

"Yeah, seems like a nice guy" said Willow, "anyway, good luck in finding that creep; make him pay for the bites on Buffy's neck"

"Will do" said Riley

**Sunnydale Park, North side, 6:00pm**

"So Ichigo" said Dawn as she dived into her ice cream, "do you have a girl friend in Japan?"

"Dawn!" said Tara as she looked at the young girl in surprise

Tara then looked at Ichigo whose face now resembled a red beet.

"Umm…. Uh… what?" said Ichigo confused

"You know what a girlfriend is right?" said Dawn

"Yes I know what a girlfriend is" said Ichigo as he looked at Dawn wondering what her angle was

"Or do you prefer boys?" said Dawn with a grin

"Ummmmm…. Uh… What?" said Ichigo again

"No" said Ichigo as she looked at Tara, "not that there's anything wrong with it, but no"

"Do you know that most long distance relationships don't work out?" said Dawn as she finished her ice cream cup and leaned forward on both her hands

"So do ya?" asked Dawn

"Do I what?" asked Ichigo who was getting even more confused

'_Help me!_' thought Ichigo to himself, '_Please let Rukia or Renji, hell let even Byakuya come to Sunnydale with a mission…. Any mission"_

"Know… about the long distance _stuff_?" asked Dawn

"How would you like to have another ice cream cup?" asked Ichigo as he tried to change the topic of conversation while he reached into his pocket and grabbed a five dollar note

"No" said Tara as she grabbed Ichigo's arm and stared at Dawn, "That's exactly what she wants"

"Oh really?" said Ichigo as he put the note back in his pocket and began to realize what was going on

"Yes" said Tara as she smiled at Dawn, "she's bugging you so that she gets more free ice cream, but it would spoil her dinner"

"Ah" said Ichigo as he grinned at Dawn, "so that's it huh?"

"Come on Tara" said Dawn, "just one more, I swear"

"Oh alright" said Tara as she handed the girl a five dollar note, "get something for Willow too, I see her coming"

"Thanks for telling me about your home town and your family" said Tara after Dawn left, "I'd like to meet your sisters someday"

"Huh? Oh, No problem" said Ichigo with a smile, "You should visit someday"

"Hey guys" said Willow as she saw Ichigo stand up

"Hello Willow" said Ichigo as Willow took a seat before he could sit back down

"So where's the little rascal?" asked Willow

"She tried to cheat Ichigo out of money for ice cream" said Tara

"Oh, that old trick" said Willow

"Apparently, I'm new at being tricked" said Ichigo

"So how was shopping Ichigo?" asked Willow

"It was good" said Ichigo, "Tara showed me all where all the shops were, then we met up with Dawn after she was done with school"

"Are you guys done with…. You know…. That thing?" asked Tara nervously as she looked at Willow

"Yea" said Willow, "Buffy went….. ah…. Shopping… for that thing… with Riley"

'_You guys are the worst liars ever" _thought Ichigo to himself

"Buffy's doing what with Riley now?" said Dawn as she sat down and handed Willow a strawberry flavoured ice cream

"Shopping Dawnie" said Willow, "yeah… just some shopping for the holidays"

"What holidays?" asked Dawn

"You know….." said Tara

"Oh, you mean she's patrolling tonight?" said Dawn as she kept on eating her ice cream

"Patrolling?" asked Ichigo

"Ummm…. Yeah" said Willow, "Buffy's part of the neighbourhood watch, its her turn to patrol tonight"

"Oh?" asked Ichigo

"Yea" said Willow, "It's a thing"

"It's ok" said Ichigo, "in Japan I did some security patrolling as well, I can come help"

"Yes" said Dawn as she looked up smiling

"No" replied Tara and Willow together

"Huh?" said Ichigo

"I mean" said Tara, "Buffy knows the rules and regulations for the neighbourhood watch"

"Yeah" said Willow, "and one of the rules is that no one who doesn't live in the same neighbourhood can participate in patrolling"

"Ah" said Ichigo

"There's a rule?" asked Dawn

"Yes" said Tara and Willow together

"What do I know?" said Dawn as she shrugged her shoulders

"Ichigo" said Tara, "Its getting dark, and I think it's about time we head back home. I need to get Dawn home before heading back to the dorms myself"

"That's a long way to go" said Ichigo

"Mrs. Summers is working late tonight and we're not sure when Buffy will be done shopping so I'll be staying with Dawn until she gets back" said Tara

"I can walk with you back to the dorms" said Willow as she looked at Ichigo

"Don't people like to stay out late here?" asked Ichigo although he kind of guessed the answer

"Usually not till late night or the early mornings" said Willow, "The truth is that sometimes there are gangs who get high on a drug called PCP and cause trouble here"

'_That's new, in Karakura Town its gas explosions' _thought Ichigo to himself

"Alright then" said Ichigo as he got up, "see you later Tara, Dawn"

"Bye Ichigo" said the two girls as they walked off in one direction while Willow and Ichigo walked in the other direction

**U.C. Sunnydale Dorms, 7:00pm**

"Wow" said Ichigo, "it gets dark here early doesn't it?"

"Yea" said Willow as the both of them walked up the stairs and entered the dorms

"Well Willow" said Ichigo, "Thank you for a nice day, it was fun to go around shopping for stuff around Sunnydale with some company"

"Oh don't be insulted by Buffy not being able to take you" said Willow

"I understand she's busy" said Ichigo with a smile as he reached Willow's door, "Well have a good night Willow"

"Night Ichigo" said Willow as she went into her room and closed the door.

Ichigo then walked a few doors down to his room and entered before closing the door.

'_Ok' _thought Ichigo to himself,_ 'I need to call Urahara first'_

So Ichigo picked up his phone and dialled the number for the Urahara Shop.

"Ah Kurosaki san" said Urahara as he picked up the phone in the shop, "how's things in Sunnydale? Met any vampires yet?"

"Wait" said Ichigo surprised, "You knew there were vampires here?"

"I suspected" said Urahara, "according to my research in the Soul Society archives, that city has been built upon a mystical convergence known as the Hellmouth"

"Hellmouth?" asked Ichigo

"Yes" said Urahara, "it attracts all manner of demons, vampires and other monsters. Even hollows, so be very careful"

"Ok" said Ichigo, "apparently even Dracula made his way here"

"You don't say?" said Urahara as he sat up from his own bed in his shop, "he rarely appears unless he seeks publicity"

"Wait" said Ichigo surprised, "You know him?"

"Know him?" said Urahara, "he came to Karakura Town once and stole some candy from my shop, just because he thinks he's some sort of celebrity. He's a cheapskate who lives in other people's fancy homes"

"OK" said Ichigo smiling, "hey, what do you know about someone called the Slayer"

"What did you say?" asked Urahara quietly

"The Slayer" said Ichigo, "I just met her yesterday"

"I can't believe they went through with it" said Urahara to himself

"Huh?" said Ichigo, "what do you mean?"

"Thousands of years ago, a group feeling that it was their duty to protect the world of the living wanted to create living weapons. Fearing that this group would upset the flow of souls between the world of the living and Soul Society, they were warned by Soul Society that it was the duty of the Shinigami to protect the world of the living" said Urahara, "but if they chose to create a weapon, they could only create one at any one time so that the balance of souls could be controlled. They were warned that if the balance was disrupted because of their interference, the Soul Society would take punitive action"

"I see" said Ichigo

"It was hoped that this group wouldn't create their weapon, what they referred to as a Slayer" said Urahara, "from what you've told me, it looks like they did. But then again, unlike the Quincy, it looks like they haven't affected the balance of souls between the Soul Society and the living world. So for now, at least, this Slayer will be staying under Soul Society's radar"

"Do killing vampires and demons count?" asked Ichigo

"Fortunately no" said Urahara, "they enter a smaller portal that leads straight to hell. Like I said, this Slayer that the group created hasn't changed the flow of souls, so I wouldn't be worried about Soul Society being mad about this. She has her job of getting rid of the vampires and demons and I'm betting you'll soon have your hands full in trying to beat Hollows"

"Well" said Ichigo, "She couldn't see me so I'm betting that she couldn't see hollows either"

"That's good" said Urahara

"Ok" said Ichigo

"Anyway" said Urahara, "met any cute chicks there"

"Oh, shut up" said Ichigo when he heard a loud scream of rage from outside in the city

"Hey Urahara san" said Ichigo, "I gotta go"

"I understand" said Urahara nodding his head in understanding, "you have a cute girl in your bed"

"No you idiot pervert" said Ichigo, "Hollow"

"Oh" said Urahara as he smiled behind his paper fan, "You should go do your job then. You should call Inoue San soon. I hear some vultures are circling near your lady love"

"I'll talk to you later" said Ichigo as he turned off the phone as he opened his window

Ichigo stuck his head out the window and closed his eyes to sense where the Hollow was active. He opened his eyes in shock when he heard the loud scream again, and it was coming from the direction of Buffy's house. He then looked to the side when he sensed someone looking at him only to find Willow looking straight at him in surprise.

"You can hear that?" Willow shouted

"Hear what?" shouted Ichigo

'_Damn it' _thought Ichigo to himself

But he didn't have any choice, the Hollow seemed to be close to Buffy's home and he had to get there. Even if Willow or anyone else saw him.

'_Urahara san is right" _said Ichigo,_ "Hollows are my duty, I have my powers to protect people and that's exactly what I'm going to do"_

Ichigo went back into his room and grabbed his substitute badge and pressed it against his body. He felt himself leave his mortal body and his shinigami self flash stepped out of the window and stood high up in the air above. Just as he flashed stepped out the window, he noticed that Willow had run out of the dorms and was heading towards the Summers house.

"Oh no" said Ichigo to himself as he quickly flash stepped all the way to Buffy's house

**The Summers Residence, 5 minutes ago**

"Hi Mrs. Summers" said Tara as she opened the door to Buffy's home, "You came home early"

"Hi Tara" said Joyce smiling as she came down the stairs, "Yeah, I had to close up early, I had an intense migraine. So I decided to come home and rest. Anyway, I made some dinner, care to join us?"

"Yeah come on Tara" begged Dawn

"Thanks Mrs. Summers" said Tara as she smiled, "but I have to get going, it's getting quite late and I have to get back to the dorms"

"You can always stay here tonight" said Joyce

"Thank you for the offer but I don't want to trouble you" said Tara as she opened the door, "thanks though"

"Walk safe Tara" said Joyce as she closed the door after Tara left

As she was walking down the street, she could feel a presence close by her. She stopped to look around but couldn't see anything so she started walking again, much quicker this time.

'_Just be calm' _Tara kept on thinking to herself as she walked past the various houses of the neighbourhood.

"A soul" said a voice from behind Tara

Tara turned around and found nothing there. Then she sensed something from above her and she looked up only to be shocked a white masked creature that looked like a lean muscular pig was falling towards her. She quickly ran just as it landed in the same space she used to occupy.

Tara turned around to face the creature just as it licked the bottom part of its mask while looking at her and stepping forward, "I smell a delicious soul"

"Wha… what… a…. are…. Y…. you?" said Tara as she stepped back

"Hungry" said the Hollow as it lunged towards Tara but she quickly jumped to one side as she skinned her knees on the street.

Tara thought of some defensive spells she could use but she couldn't concentrate.

"Hungry" said the Hollow as it circled around and walked back towards Tara

In a panic, Tara said the only defensive spell she could think of at that one moment, "Sensus, confundomtor, era, ah, pleator, obscurator"

Suddenly the Hollow found itself covered in white smoke that obstructed its vision.

Seeing that she had a chance to get away, Tara ran as fast as she could but she couldn't make it far as the Hollow caught up to her and, after catching her foot, threw her onto the grass.

"I don't need to see" said the Hollow in a menacing voice as it hovered over her, "I can smell you"

"Incindre" shouted Tara in a panic as a burst of flame shot up from underneath the Hollow as it jumped back and screamed.

Tara closed her ears as she doubled over in pain

'_So loud' _thought Tara to herself as she opened her eyes and saw the creature scream loudly into the air before it stopped and stared at her.

"You…." Said the Hollow as it stared at her before it lunged at her

"Incindre" shouted Tara again but the flame missed the Hollow as it jumped higher and higher into the air before heading back down towards Tara.

Tara closed her eyes and tried to shield her body but in her extreme panic couldn't remember any of her other defensive spells, when suddenly she felt a rush of air just above her and a loud thud a few feet away from her.

"Hey Tara" smiled Ichigo as he held out his hand to help the girl stand up, "You alright?"

"Ich…. Ichi….Ichigo?" said Tara as she stared at the orange haired boy in front of her who was wearing a fancy black robe with a large sword strapped to his back.

"Hi" said Ichigo smiling as he waved at her, "sorry it took so long, usually I'm faster"

"Huh?" said Tara, "what are you….."

"Shinigami" said the Hollow as it interrupted Tara, "I smell the soul of a shinigami"

"Shinigami?" said Tara as she stood up and looked between Ichigo and the Hollow

"Yeah" said Ichigo laughing as he scratched his head nervously

Suddenly Ichigo grabbed Zangetsu before turning and slashing the Hollow as it lunged at him from behind.

"Tara" said Ichigo, "I suggest you run, I saw Willow heading this way so please run towards her. This thing is my responsibility"

"But…" said Tara as she looked into Ichigo's eyes and could see power. She then saw his aura which was steadier than before with a combination of black and red hues.

"Oh" said Ichigo, "all I ask that you don't tell anyone about this?"

"But…." said Tara

"Now run" said Ichigo

Tara then ran as fast as she could knowing that Ichigo had some kind of power to back up what he was talking about, she saw it in his eyes.

The hollow looked on as Tara ran but then turned and fixed his view on Ichigo and smiled

"I have always wanted to eat a Shinigami" said the Hollow as it lunged towards Ichigo

Ichigo stepped to the side as he jumped into the air and slashed Zangetsu down on the hollow. However, before he could make contact, the Hollow hit Ichigo with his arm which flung Ichigo onto the grass lawn of one of the houses.

Tara was running as fast she could but when she turned a corner she stopped.

'_What am I doing?' _thought Tara to herself_, 'I can't be such a coward especially if I want to help Willow and her friends. If I can't even help with this masked demon, then what good am I?'_

Tara then turned around and ran back towards where Ichigo was, she was going to at least try and help instead of running away.

Ichigo stood in front of the Hollow after he had cut off both its arms and was about to make the final slash through its mask when it rapidly regenerated its arms and knocked a surprised Ichigo onto the side. It then stepped on the Shinigami before picking up Ichigo and flinging him on to the road. Ichigo then put his hand to his face and gathered reiatsu as he pulled down his hand to reveal his Hollow mask. It was then he heard a gasping sound from somewhere behind him.

Ichigo looked behind him in surprise, only to see Tara standing there with her hands covering her mouth and her eyes wide open in surprise as she stared at him.

"Tara?" said Ichigo, "What are you….."

Ichigo was interrupted as the Hollow hit him hard from the side and flung him onto the lawn on the other side of the street. Panting, Ichigo looked up just as the Hollow lunged towards Tara again and he used the boost provided by his Hollow mask to make an instant flash step in front of Tara.

"Getsuga Tenshou" said Ichigo as he swung Zangetsu upwards and a crescent shaped arc of black and red reiatsu emerged from the tip. The reiatsu immediately cut through the hollow as it disintegrated just before reaching them, with the crescent shaped energy wave arcing up into the sky where it exploded in a brilliant red light.

Panting, Ichigo stabbed Zangetsu into the ground and leaned on it as he turned around to face Tara. He put his hand to the mask and took it off as it disintegrated.

"I think the Hellmouth supercharged that Hollow" said Ichigo as he smiled at Tara

"What….. how… what?" asked Tara still in surprise

"Are you alright?" asked Ichigo with concern, "were you hurt?"

"No…. but…" said Tara

"Thank you for your concern Tara" said Ichigo smiling as he stood up and put Zangetsu onto his back, "I appreciate you coming back to help me"

"But…" said Tara

"Oh, Willow's close by" said Ichigo, "Which means that I have to go, I've got homework for tomorrow"

"Huh… but.. what?" said Tara

"Please don't tell Willow or anyone about me?" said Ichigo, "In return I promise I'll tell you everything tomorrow"

"But….. ok" said Tara finally as she looked at the grinning Ichigo

"Oh if anyone asks" said Ichigo, "there was a minor gas explosion, I know you guys deal with vampires and stuff, but masked creatures that appear out of nowhere and eat other ghosts and souls may be a bit harder to explain"

"Ok" said Tara as she nodded

"Maybe lunch tomorrow?" said Ichigo, "I'll explain to you then?"

"ok" said Tara still in shock

"Alright then" said Ichigo as he started to walk away

"Thank you" said Tara

"Nah" said Ichigo, "Just doing my duty"

Tara looked on as Ichigo walked away before he seeming vanished. She then turned about and looked at the destruction all around her before she heard Willow's voice as she ran to her.

"Tara" said Willow as she looked around her, "what happened here? I heard a scream all the way from the dorms and ran here as fast as I could. Are you ok? Oh your knee…. You're hurt"

"I'm ok" said Tara as she looked at her still bleeding knee

"Let's get you back to Buffy's and patch you up" said Willow as she put Tara's arm over her shoulder, "her house is closer"

"Thanks" said Tara sheepishly

"What happened?" asked Willow as she looked around, "I heard a loud scream and I ran here"

"I didn't hear a scream" lied Tara, " all I remember was that there was a minor gas explosion"

"Oh" said Willow as she helped Tara to Buffy's house

"Guess what" said Willow, "I just heard from Xander, looks like the gang took care of Dracula"

"That's good" replied Tara

"Hey" said Willow, "You sure you're ok? If you want, I can use magic to heal you"

"No" said Tara, "I mean its fine, it's just a scratch. I'm sure Mrs. Summers has some anti-septic cream in her home"

"If you're sure" said Willow

Tara silently thanked Ichigo again, she was looking forward to his explanation about what happened tonight and, although she hated it, she would keep his secret from everyone.


	6. Deathberry and the Blonde Wicca

**U.C. Sunnydale Dorms, 7:00am**

"Ohhhhh" said Ichigo as he awoke in bed. After finishing of the hollow that had attacked Tara, he then came back to his room to finish up a homework assignment for psychology. After that was done, he then left for patrol again and managed to finish off another two hollows with relative ease that were chasing the ghost of a girl who had died after a vampire had killed her.

"Why was it difficult to beat the one that was going after Tara?" asked Ichigo to himself as he lay on the bed, "I even had to use my hollow mask to beat that thing"

Ichigo then slowly got up from bed and checked the laptop he bought the previous day for any emails from home.

"Woah" said Ichigo to himself as he smiled to himself, "Lots and lots of messages from Urahara-san, Dad, Yuzu, Karin and Inoue"

After answering all the messages, Ichigo walked into the shower to begin his day.

"Hey Ichigo" said Kon in his familiar façade as a plush lion while Ichigo got dressed for class, "are you really going to tell that girl the truth about... You know?"

"Yes, she already saw me so there's not really much of a choice" said Ichigo.

"Are you going to tell her about me?" asked Kon

"Maybe" said Ichigo as he put on his socks, "it would be nice to have an ally here"

"What about Buffy and her sister?" asked Kon

"I still don't know much about them" said Ichigo, "Maybe I could use the chat with Tara to find out more about them, or..."

Ichigo trailed off his voice as he received a phone call.

"Hello" said Ichigo as he activated the connection on his mobile phone.

"Good morning, Ichigo" said Joyce's cheerful voice on the other line.

"Good morning Joyce" said Ichigo as he reached for his bag.

"How was your second day in Sunnydale?" asked Joyce.

"It was great" said Ichigo, "I met up with Dawn and two of Buffy's friends for some ice cream"

"Yes" said Joyce, "Dawn told me what she tried to do, I'm so sorry"

"Please, don't be" said Ichigo with a smile.

"How would you like to come by for dinner tonight?" asked Joyce, "You know, for a nice home cooked meal. You can even get to meet Buffy's other friends"

"That sounds great" said Ichigo, "Thank you very much"

"No problem" said Joyce, "remember if you ever get bored at the dorms, you can always stay in the house with us"

"Thank you for the offer" said Ichigo, "but I think that would be too much of an imposition on your kindness"

"Well if you ever change your mind" said Joyce, "and just so you know, it's never an imposition"

"Thank you" said Ichigo

"See you tonight then" said Joyce as she disconnected the call with Ichigo

"Can I come too?" asked Kon excitedly

"You just want to go and see Buffy you pervert" said Ichigo

"Come on" said Kon as he outlined a hourglass figure using his paws "she's so... You know"

"Whatever" said Ichigo as he closed the door and walked towards the elevators when he passed Willow's room and heard Tara inside as well.

_'Ah to be in love'_ thought Ichigo as he smiled to himself.

Just as he pressed the button for the elevator, he heard Willow's door open and the two girls walk out.

"Good morning Ichigo" said Willow with a smile, "ready for a brand new day of classes"

"Good morning Willow... Tara" said Ichigo as he glanced at Tara who was trying to avoid looking at Ichigo.

"Yes, I'm kind of excited to go for my first class of the semester" said Ichigo as the doors to the elevator opened and the three of them walked in.

"If you're done by lunch" said Willow, "maybe we can meet up at the cafeteria?"

"Yea sure" said Ichigo,

"Alright" said Willow with a smile as the three of them got off and went their own separate ways.

"Ichigo" said Tara as she lightly grabbed his arm as Willow was the first to walk away, "Cou…could we still talk about that thing that happened last night?"

"Sure" said Ichigo, "I have to warn you though, that it could be a very long story"

"I….I don't have anything to do after lunch" said Tara as she turned and ran towards Willow

"Same here" replied Ichigo before he stepped back and walked out the door to the building his class was going to be in.

As he was heading out, he felt a great spiritual pressure that seemed to wash over him from out of nowhere before it simply vanished. Standing at the entrance, he scanned the people walking along the walk ways but couldn't sense anyone with that kind of spiritual pressure.

Taking out his cell phone, he immediately dialled the Urahara Shop in Japan.

"Hi Kurosaki san" said the hat and sandal wearing Shinigami

"Yo" said Ichigo as he walked towards his class

"Have any problems with the hollow from last night?" he asked

"Well" said Ichigo, "I had some trouble in fighting the thing off, I mean I even had to use my hollow mask just to beat it"

"Really?" said Urahara

"Any ideas?" asked Ichigo

"Maybe the Hellmouth could be adversely affecting you?" said Urahara

"I dispatch two other hollows later that night without any problems" said Ichigo as he scratched his head

""Ummmm…. That is strange" said Urahara, "did you do anything different between the first hollow and the other two hollows you defeated?"

"Well" said Ichigo, "I had to save one of the girls I met when I faced the first hollow"

"Really?" said Urahara grinning, "You dog!"

"Oh shut up!" said Ichigo, "now that I think about it, she said that she was able to see my aura and that she practised something called Wicca"

"Oh?" asked Urahara, "so she's what you may call a good witch"

"Oh" said Ichigo

"I can't be sure but maybe she siphoned off some of your reiatsu without you or her even knowing about it" said Urahara

"That can happen?" asked Ichigo

"Well, you took all of Rukia-san's powers when she stabbed you through your heart the first time remember? That's how you became a Shinigami" said Urahara, "but this, it's just an unproven theory. Like I said, chances are that she doesn't even know she's doing it"

"Anyway to confirm it?" asked Ichigo

"I'll need to do some research" said Urahara, "when you took Rukia-san's powers, you immediately became a Shinigami. Has she become one too?"

"Nope" said Ichigo

"Then I have to do some research on this" said Urahara

"Oh" said Ichigo, "Do you know if any of the captains are in Sunnydale?"

"Not that I'm aware off" said Urahara, "Why?"

"I just felt a massive reiatsu just as I left for my class" said Ichigo, "and then suddenly it simply disappeared"

"I see" said Urahara, "I suggest keeping a watch for whatever made that reiatsu. If it's as massive as you say, then something big may be coming. Do you need back up?"

"Nah" said Ichigo, "we don't even know what it is"

"Alright then" said Urahara, "I'll do my research on why your reiatsu weakened slightly and get back to you as soon as possible"

"Thanks" said Ichigo as he disconnected the call

**U.C. Sunnydale Cafeteria, Lunch time**

"Hi.. hi Ichigo" said Tara nervously as she sat down across from Ichigo

"Hi Tara" said Ichigo as he looked around, "where's Willow?"

"Oh, she had to help Buffy with some errands for that party tonight at her house" said Tara

"Party?" asked Ichigo, "Mrs. Summer's just said it's dinner"

"Well party and dinner are pretty much the same thing" said Tara as she looked nervously at Ichigo

"So" said Ichigo, "about me… what happened last night"

"Yeah" said Tara as she looked down at the table

"You know what" said Ichigo as he looked around, "There are too many people here, you feel like going for a walk?"

"Ah… ok" said Tara

So Tara and Ichigo grabbed their sandwiches and left the cafeteria and headed towards the central area of the university where they sat down under the shade of a tree.

"So" said Ichigo after a few moments, "I've been able to see the dead ever since I was young"

"Really?" asked Tara

"You don't see them?" asked Ichigo as he noticed a girl in a cheerleader uniform who had just walked through a wall of one of the buildings

"I can sometimes sense them" said Tara, "I just haven't been able to see them. It must be horrible"

"To see the ghosts?" asked Ichigo

"Yes" replied Tara

"Not really" said Ichigo as he laughed, "most of them are very nice, some are jerks"

"Was that thing that attacked me yesterday a ghost?" asked Tara

"It was a hollow" said Ichigo quietly as he took a bite of his sandwich

"A hollow?" asked Tara as she looked questioningly at Ichigo

"I guess we should start at the beginning" said Ichigo, "What do you know about Shinigami?"

"Shinigami?" asked Tara

"Soul Reapers" clarified Ichigo

"Willow was telling me about it last night, the gang think that it's a big bad that's come to Sunnydale" said Tara as she noticed Ichigo smile, "are…. are you a Soul Reaper?"

"Yes" said Ichigo, "Actually, I'm a substitute Soul Reaper"

"A substitute?" asked Tara as she looked at Ichigo in confusion

"Unlike other Soul Reapers, I still have my living body" said Ichigo, "the others are purely spiritual beings that no-one except those with some spiritual energy and spiritual pressure can see"

"Like me?" said Tara

"And Willow" said Ichigo, "she saw me standing in the air the day I met Dracula"

"So Buffy wasn't crazy" smiled Tara, "she just couldn't see your spiritual body"

"Over time she could possible see me" said Ichigo

"How?" asked Tara

"Well I'm constantly releasing reiatsu, spiritual energy, and that energy can over time enable others who have some spiritual energy to see me" said Ichigo

"I think I get it" said Tara

"Thats the way that Rukia and Urahara explained it to me when my friends started to exhibit powers of their own" said Ichigo as Tara interrupted him

"Rukia?" asked Tara

"Yes" said Ichigo before he went on to explain how he had met Rukia the first time and accidently took all of her Shinigami powers, then how he lost his powers in a battle against Byakuya and regained them again thanks to Urahara. Then he went on to tell her about his and the other's incursion into Soul Society to save Rukia. However, he had left out everything about Aizen as she didn't want Tara to become overwhelmed with too much information.

"Wow" said Tara, "So all ghosts go to this Soul Society?"

"That's one of the responsibilities of a Soul Reaper" said Ichigo, "we send the good souls or Pluses to Soul Society where they can live and later be reborn back in the living world"

"Oh" said Tara, "what about these hollows? Are they some kind of demons?"

"The hollows are really the ghosts of people" said Ichigo

"Wait, I thought you said that the ghosts are sent to Soul Society?" asked Tara, "then how can hollows be ghosts of people"

"You're right" said Ichigo, "the vast majority of ghosts do move on to Soul Society, but there are others who stay on in the living world because they have certain goals to fulfil"

"Oh" said Tara as she nodded her head in understanding.

Ichigo then slowly explained the process by which the Pluses become hollows and the reasons for doing so.

"So the first people that these hollows attack are the ones that they love the most?" asked Tara as she covered her mouth with her hand in shock.

"Or whoever they're obsessed with" said Ichigo.

"That's so sad" said Tara as she looked at Ichigo, "So the Soul Reapers kill them and send them to hell?"

"Not exactly" said Ichigo, "when a Soul Reaper slays a hollow, the Hollow's sin's are cleansed away. They return to who they were as Pluses and are then taken to Soul Society"

"I see" said Tara

"However the Hollow's who committed serious crimes while they were human are sent to hell" said Ichigo

"Oh" said Tara

"After hearing what you had to say" said Tara, "I wonder if my mother was sent to Soul Society"

"Most likely" said Ichigo, "sometimes it takes years for a Plus to develop into a hollow and I don't see anyone whose Chain of Fate is attached to you. So you should take solace in knowing that your mother moved on to Soul Society"

"I'm glad" said Tara softly, "but sometimes I wish she was around"

"When did she….?" Asked Ichigo without finishing his question

"When I was seventeen" said Tara

"Oh" said Ichigo sadly, "I lost my mother too when I was nine"

"Oh" said Tara as she turned to look at Ichigo, "I'm sorry, I had no idea"

"Actually even before I knew about hollows and such" continued Ichigo, "I unwittingly saw one while coming back from karate practise one night with my mother. The hollow used a girl as a lure and I made the mistake of running towards the rivers edge to prevent the girl from falling in. My mother must have thought that I was going to jump into the river and she ran after me. Next thing I know, her body was lying dead on top of me. My mother died trying to protect me from the hollow"

"Oh God" said Tara as she looked sadly at Ichigo.

"It was years later after I became a Soul Reaper that I finally defeated that hollow that murdered her" said Ichigo, "it called itself Grand Fisher and it came after my sisters when we went to visit my mother's grave. After fighting it for a while, it disappeared after I had injured it badly. I'm only assuming it's dead because it hasn't come back"

"I'm glad you've had some kind of closure" said Tara as she looked at Ichigo, "Do you think you can find my mother in Soul Society? I just want to know if she's alright."

"To be honest with you, I'm not really a regular trav...," Ichigo stopped talking as he saw the look of hope in Tara's eyes, "Some of my best friends are the Captains and Lieutenants who live in Soul Society, I can maybe ask them for help but no promises though. Can you give me her name?"

"Thank you" said Tara after she wrote down her mother's name on a piece of paper before looking out into space, "Can you promise me one thing?"

"Umm….. Sure" said Ichigo

"When it's my time to go, will you take me to Soul Society?" asked Tara as she turned to face Ichigo.

"That's the oddest request I've had from anyone" said Ichigo in surprise, "from the living or the dead"

"Well you are the only Soul Reaper I know" said Tara smiling, "So would you?"

Ichigo couldn't help but stare at the blonde girl sitting beside him before he nodded his head.

"Thank you" said Tara as she slowly stood up.

"Come on" said Ichigo, "there's someone I'd like for you to meet, unless you have to meet up with Willow"

"Another surprise?" asked Tara

"Well" said Ichigo, "If you're not busy?"

"Sure" said Tara, "why not?"

"Alright" said Ichigo as he jumped up, "He's in my room"

"I thought you have a single room?" asked Tara as she walked beside him.

"Oh I do" said Ichigo smiling, "and Kon doesn't really take that much space"

"Kon?" asked Tara

**Ichigo's Room, ten minutes later**

"Alright" said Ichigo as he closed his door, "let me just close the door. Don't really want people to know about what I'm about to show you"

"You said you can se aura's right?" asked Ichigo

"Yes" said Tara as she looke around his room and finally settled her sights on a stuffed lion.

"Wha… wha….. what is that?" asked Tara as she pointed at the stuffed lion.

"D…. demon?" said Tara as she stepped back behind Ichigo

"Demon?" said Kon and he jumped up and looked behind him, "where?"

"Wh… whats that?" asked Tara as she looked at Ichigo.

"Tara meet Kon" said Ichigo, "Kon meet Tara"

"Hi" said Kon as he waved one of his paws at the stunned looking blonde.

"H…. Hi?" said Tara as she nervously returned the wave.

"What's going on?" asked Tara nervously, "if its not a demon that's inhabiting the body of that toy then what is it?"

"Hey" said Kon, "you do realize I'm alive, right?"

"Huh?" said Tara

"I'm alive so please don't talk as if I'm not here" said Kon who had his paws folded on his chest.

"Ummm…. I….. I'm sorry" said Tara, "You… you're alive?"

"Yes" said Kon, "I'm a modified soul"

"A what?" asked Tara

Kon then slowly explained the purpose of Project Spearhead to Tara, about how Soul Society created artificial souls that were designed to enhance human physiology to be placed in the bodies of the dead so that they can help the Shinigami to fight hollows. Tara listened quietly to Kon as he explained how, after he was created, the Soul Society deemed the entire project to be inhumane and had ordered the destruction of all the modified souls that were created.

"That was cruel of them" said Tara

"Yes" said Kon dramatically, "but I managed to bravely escape and ended up in a Soul Candy dispenser which was later given to Ichigo"

"But…" said Kon as he jumped towards Tara, "But, there were so many lonely days and nights…. All alone by myself….. looking after my dear brothers and sisters… please hug me"

"Kon!" said Ichigo as he grabbed the stuffed bear in mid-air and threw him to the floor before started to step on him.

"Ichigo!" said Tara as she tried to stop him from stomping more on Kon's body.

"Just for once, stop being a perverted moron" said Ichigo as he continued to stomp his foot down onto Kon's body.

"Ichigo" said Tara.

"Sorry about that" said Ichigo as he stepped back and Kon got back onto his feet and dusted himself off.

"Interesting character" said Tara as she kneeled down on the floor and looked at the stuffed lion.

"Oh Yeah" said Ichigo, "you should have seen what he did the first time he inhabited my body"

"Oh he can do that?" asked Tara

"Yes" said Ichigo as he slapped the back of Kon's head and out popped a round white pill which rolled onto the carpet.

"Wow" said Tara as she picked up the pill and looked at it, "so this is what a modified soul looks like?"

"Yep" said Ichigo.

"It's beautiful" said Tara, "looking at the aura is like looking at an explosion of colours"

"Sometimes I pop Kon into my body so that he can look after it or anyone else while I'm out fighting hollows" said Ichigo, "and I'll be taking him like this to Mrs. Summers' house tonight just in case"

"You should tell the others about you" said Tara as she handed the pill to Ichigo.

"Maybe soon" said Ichigo, "but in the meantime please don't tell anyone else about me yet"

"Alright" said Tara as she nodded her head.

"So….." said Ichigo as he looked at Tara confused, "just what is appropriate to bring for a dinner party in America?"

TBC


	7. Deathberry meets Anya

**A/N: **Thanks everyone for the great reviews. I know that since this is a cross fic between two shows with a supersized supporter base, there is no way that I'd be able to please fans that fall on either side. Just like to thank you for reading what I've already written and I hope that you guys enjoy this chapter as well. Again, please review and remember, it's just a story. Cheers, have a happy Wednesday.

**The Summers' Residence, 7:00pm**

"Hi Joyce" said Ichigo as she opened the door.

"Ichigo" said Joyce as she tried not to laugh at the sight of Ichigo trying to balance four boxes, "what are you doing?"

"Hey mom" said Buffy, "Is Ichigo….."

Buffy stopped speaking when she saw the orange haired boy balancing five unknown boxes. Trying her best not to laugh at his predicament, she said "what'cha got there, Ichigo?"

"Oh nothing much" said Ichigo as he walked into the house to noises of people talking in the living room, "I thought I should bring something for dessert and Tara said that pies are pretty appropriate"

"So you went and bought five boxes?" asked Buffy trying to stifle a laugh as she reached for the top two boxes and saw a grinning Ichigo.

"Yea" said Ichigo.

"Hi Ichigo" said Willow as she looked in surprise at the boxes, "what did you do?"

"Ummmm.. guys" said Buffy, "this is Ichigo, Ichigo these are the guys"

"Hello" said Ichigo as he stood at the entryway to the living room and looked at the people seated there.

"Hi, I'm Xander, and this guy to the right of me is Riley, and I'm guessing you already know Tara and Willow"

"Hi" replied Ichigo as Dawn suddenly appeared behind him at the stairs.

"Hi Ichigo" said Dawn.

"Hi Dawn" said Ichigo as Dawn took the topmost box and took a peek at what was inside, "Blueberry? My favourite"

"Since when?" asked Xander from the living room.

"For a long time" replied Dawn as Ichigo looked on amused and followed Dawn into the kitchen where Buffy and Joyce were holed up.

"Let me go and help Ichigo" said Tara as she started to get up before Willow grabbed her hand and pulled her back down.

"Don't worry about it" said Willow smiling, "he's got Buffy and Mrs. Summers helping him keep the boxes"

"Wait a second" said Tara smiling at Willow, "are you jealous?"

"What? No" said Willow

"You are" smiled Tara, "You're a silly girl"

"Well yea" said Willow as she kissed Tara's cheek, "but I'm your silly girl"

"Hey Xander" said Riley, "where's Anya?"

"She said she'll be here later" said Xander, "something about helping Giles with this whole Shinigami thing"

"Maybe we should ask Ichigo about these Shinigami things?" whispered Willow, "I mean if this is a big bad, then maybe he'll know the legends better than us. I mean Giles's hasn't been able to find much yet"

"But what if this Shinigami person isn't a big bad?" asked Tara, "What if this person is here to help?"

"I don't know" said Riley, "then why doesn't he make himself known? I don't trust anyone who operates in secret"

"And the Initiative were simply angels, weren't they" said Xander sarcastically.

"But what if this person is in Sunnydale for a different purpose?" asked Tara.

"Then whoever this person is should let us know what his role here is" said Buffy who just came from the kitchen.

"Hi Buff" said Xander, "I thought we were whispering softly?"

"Slayer hearing" said Buffy.

"Darn it" replied Xander.

"You really think Ichigo may know something?" asked Buffy as she looked at Tara, "Tara, you've spent more time with him than any of us so is there anything you sense about his aura that's a bit off of you?"

"He… he's fine" said Tara

"I still don't want to bring a civilian into this" said Buffy, "if he knows why we're asking, then he'll probably want to take part in taking down this Origami"

"Ummm… Shinigami" said Tara

"Ok….. Shinigami" smiled Buffy, "and may get himself injured which would make mom very unhappy"

"Thank you for the pies Ichigo" said Joyce with a smile.

"Yea" said Dawn with a smile, "Looks like you outdid even mom with Blueberry, two apple, pumpkin and rhubarb pies"

"Yeah well" said Ichigo as he laughed nervously, "I try"

"Dawn" said Joyce, "Why don't you take Ichigo back to the living room? Dinner's almost done so you guys should relax and talk amongst yourselves"

"Sure mom" said Dawn as she grabbed Ichigo's hand and pulled him along, "come on, when my mom says it's time to go, it's time to go"

"Alright" said Ichigo as he noticed Dawn glaring at Buffy.

'_Oh boy' _thought Ichigo to himself_, 'I sense murderous intent'_

"So Ichigo" said Xander as he saw the orange haired boy sit down next to Willow and Tara, with Dawn sitting right next to him and grinning at Buffy.

'_Oh God'_ thought Buffy to herself, _'Dawn is such an embarrassment'_

"Yes Xander?" asked Ichigo as he took a sip from the cup of pop in his hand.

"Just so you know, we're every interested in ancient myths and legends, especially from Asia" said Xander.

"Ok" replied Ichigo, _'I know exactly what you wanna know about'_

"One of the myths that we were hoping you could tell us about is this thing called a Shinigami" said Xander.

"A Shinigami, you say?" asked Ichigo as he made a quick glance at Tara.

"I know that they're a myth, they take the dead to either heaven or hell" continued Ichigo as he took another sip of his pop drink.

"Anything else you can tell?" asked Riley

"The better person to talk to you about this would be my younger sister, Karin" said Ichigo, "Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't really keep a tab on Japanese horror stories and myths."

"That's fine, Ichigo" said Buffy, "so how's life been for you in Sunnydale so far?"

"Pretty uneventful" said Ichigo, "I mean I haven't really experienced that much so far, I'm only a few days in but my first day of classes were pretty entertaining"

Just then the doorbell rang and Buffy went to open the door.

"HI Giles" said Buffy as she looked behind him expecting someone else to come through the door, "where's Anya?"

"She's coming" said Giles, "something about having to put on makeup or something. I can't really follow her when she's babbling."

"Anyway" said Buffy as she closed the door, "I want you to meet someone, this is Ichigo. The student I told you about"

"Ah, hello" said Giles bowing towards Ichigo as he stood up and returned the bow, before stepping forward and shaking his hand.

"I'm Rupert Giles, I used to work in the former Sunnydale High School library"

"Oh" said Ichigo, "you met Buffy during your time there?"

"Yes" said Giles who turned around when the door bell rang again.

"Hi Anya" said Buffy as she opened the door to let the former vengeance demon into the house.

"Hey" said Anya as she came into the house and suddenly felt uncomfortable, "you do realize that your home is really stuffy?"

"Gee thanks" said Buffy, "that's what every host wants to know"

"Seriously" said Anya, "It's really stuffy here, it's never been like this before"

"Hey Ahn" said Xander as he walked up to her and put her hands around her shoulders, "come on, there's someone you should meet. It's the new student that the Summers family is host to"

Xander and Anya approached Ichigo as he was talking to Willow and Tara.

"Ichigo?" said Xander as he tapped on his shoulder which caused Ichigo to turn around and face the couple.

"Hi" said Ichigo.

"Ichigo, please meet my girlfriend Anya Jenkins" said Xander before he whispered into Anya's ear, "I'll be right back, just keep the guy company for a little bit"

Anya nodded her head as she extended her hand to Ichigo.

"Hello Anya" said Ichigo as he bowed down to her before shaking her hand.

Just when Ichigo's hand touched Anya's, he noticed her eyes open widely in fear.

'_Oh no'_ thought Ichigo to himself, _'please tell me she's not another Wiccan like Willow and Tara who reads auras'_

"You… you… you…." said Anya as she started to stutter and point at Ichigo with a trembling hand before she turned her head to find Xander and saw him talking with Buffy and Willow. Then she turned to face a smiling Ichigo.

"Yep" said Ichigo with a laugh as he tried to keep Anya calm, "I'm just the harmless student from Japan who came to Sunnydale and was taken in by the Summers family"

Tara had noticed what was going on and quickly intervened.

"Anya" said Tara as she grabbed her shoulders and led her to the kitchen after noticing her terrified face, "Can you help me with getting the food to the table?"

"O… ok" said Anya in a quiet and trembling voice as she kept on staring into Ichigo's eyes before she whispered in a very quiet voice, "please, I beg of you don't kill me. I'm trying to make a new life for myself"

"Umm…. Why would I want to kill you?" asked Ichigo to a surprised Anya.

"Never mind" said Anya as Tara quickly pulled her away to the kitchen.

As soon as Anya was in the kitchen, Tara looked around for Joyce. Seeing that she was near the stove, Tara guided Anya out the back door into the yard.

"That's the Soul Reaper" whispered Anya as she pointed inside the house.

"I know" replied Tara.

"You knew?" said Anya as she raised her voice slightly.

"Shhhh" said Tara, "Ichigo saved my life last night, and all he asked was that I don't tell anyone"

"He'll drag me to hell" said Anya as she trembled, "and not the one where it's easy to get out. I've heard the stories, he'll send me to the lowest level where they chain demons into these huge crevices and its torturous just to leave the place"

"He wouldn't do that to you" said Tara.

"That's the job of all Soul Reapers" said Anya, "Buffy needs to know, only she can protect me"

"Anya wait" said Tara as she held on to her arm.

"Are you in league with him?" said Anya.

"What….? No!" whispered Tara, "but there is something about him that I trust"

"What will Willow say?" asked Anya,

"Anya, he saved my life" said Tara, "A…a… monster was chasing me after I brought Dawn home and he saved my life. Would someone who's supposed to be a big bad do that?"

"Maybe to gain your trust so that he could betray it later on" said Anya as she made an attempt to run back into the house.

Just then Ichigo came out to the yard and joined Tara and a terrified Anya who gasped at the sight of Ichigo and stood behind Tara.

"Umm…. Tara? Joyce asked me to call you guys back inside. Dinner is almost ready" said Ichigo.

"Thanks Ichigo" said Tara

"HI Anya" said Ichigo as he stepped forward towards her. Every step he took, the tighter Anya held on to Tara.

Seeing the distress in Anya's eyes, he stepped back a bit while holding his hands up.

"Easy, easy" said Ichigo, "I'm not here to harm you, or anyone for that matter"

"Bu…. But you're a So…soo…. Soul Reaper" said Anya

"Yea" said Ichigo

"You're here to drag me back to hell" said Anya.

"Huh?" said Ichigo as he scratched his head in confusion, "I think you have me mixed up with someone else"

"I've heard stories that Soul Reapers drag demons back to hell" said Anya.

"Well" said Ichigo as he played along, "not unless they've done something wrong, and since you're here among these people who seem to be your friends. Then I don't really have a reason to take you to hell now do I? I mean if you really do think about it"

'_Please believe me'_ thought Ichigo to himself.

"So you're not here to take me to hell?" asked Anya as she stepped forward.

"Let me properly introduce myself again" said Ichigo as he held out his hand, "I am Ichigo Kurosaki, University Student"

"Anya Jenkins, former Vengeance Demon" said Anya as she grabbed Ichigo's hand and shook it. It was then Tara and Ichigo noticed her eyes going wide again.

"You fought in the war, didn't you?" asked Anya

"What war?" replied Tara as she looked between Anya and Ichigo.

"You know about that?" asked Ichigo in surprise.

"Every demon or otherworldly being has heard of it or experienced the massive release of power in one form or another" said Anya, "I heard that it was called the Winter War"

"I guess you are well informed" said Ichigo smiling, "but I'd rather not talk about it. If its alright with you?"

"I heard that one of the Soul Reapers had gone rogue and wanted to rule heaven" said Anya as she held on to Ichigo's hand, "and then another had to give up his power to defeat the rogue Soul Reaper. That was you wasn't it, the one that demons have heard whispers off. I honestly thought all of that was just a rumour, something meant to scare demons and monsters"

"Nah" said Ichigo as he laughed nervously, "I'm just a normal Soul Reaper, there's nothing special about me. I just ask you don't tell anyone here about me. Come on, Joyce wants us back inside"

As Ichigo went back in, Tara noticed that Anya has visibly relaxed.

"See I told you he's a nice guy" said Tara.

"But he's a Soul Reaper and he could come after me at anytime" said Anya.

"I don't think he will" said Tara.

"I think he's the one I heard about" said Anya, "after the shield was brought down, there were whispers of a monster that lay inside the hero of the war. But then again, according to the stories I heard, the hero lost all his powers. You know, maybe he is right, I mean Ichigo still has his powers. Come on, lets go inside. I feel much more comfortable now"

"Yeah" said Tara, "you go ahead first, I'll be right there"

Tara stood outside as she recalled what Anya had said, _'a monster that lay inside the hero of the war'_. She then recalled how the previous night Ichigo had put his hand to his face and brought down a white mask with red markings on it. The mask that Ichigo had put on was like the mask work by the Hollow that attacked her, although the design was different. The mask Ichigo had on looked more like a skull.

'_So does Ichigo have a hollow inside him?'_ thought Tara to herself, _'But he saved my life, is he the hero that Anya's stories were talking about? I think I really need to have another talk with Ichigo. I need to know the truth'_

Once Tara decided it would be better to get the information from Ichigo himself, she went back inside the house determined to ask him about it tomorrow.

However, no one had taken notice that one of the second floor windows were open and that a certain Dawn Summers had heard the entire conversation between Ichigo, Tara and Anya.

"Ichigo is a Soul Reaper?" she repeated to herself surprised, "That's just cool"


	8. Tara and the Winter War

**A/N: **Wow! Eight reviews for the previous chapter. Thanks everyone for your wonderful reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter as well. Please read and review my friends. Enjoy.

**Two weeks later, U.C. Sunnydale Dorm **

It's been two weeks since the dinner at the Summers residence; two weeks since both Anya, Tara and, unknown to the three of them, Dawn had learned that Ichigo was a Shinigami. While Anya had by now accepted the fact that Ichigo wasn't going to drag her to hell, she was still uncomfortable around him but kept his secret.

Tara, on the other hand, had started to question herself as to whether she was doing the right thing by not telling anyone. After the talk with Anya in Buffy's backyard, the only thing in her mind was what she said about the hero who had the monster in his body. After what had happened when he saved her, Tara was pretty such that Ichigo was the hero that Anya was talking about. On the other hand, Ichigo had saved her life and she made a promise to keep his secret from the others.

As she lay in bed with Willow, she looked up at the ceiling and wondered what Soul Society was like.

'_I wonder if mom is happy there' _thought Tara to herself_, 'Does she miss me?'_

Tara looked over at Willow whose head was lying on her chest with her hands wrapped around Tara's waist. Tara kissed the top of her head before looking at the window and saw the first rays of sunshine creepy through the blinds.

'_I'm glad it's just the weekend' _thought Tara to herself_, 'Ichigo would have no excuses to get out of another talk. All I need is the truth. I know he's a Soul Reaper but does that mean he's on our side? Can he be trusted?... Damn it what's wrong with me, he saved my life, he trusted me with a secret. How can I betray that trust? I need to talk to him. Anya just has stories, who knows if it's true at all, I need to find out from the horse's mouth.'_

"Hey you" whispered Tara into Willow's ear as the red head slowly opened her eyes.

"Hey" replied Willow as she glanced at the clock, "You're up early, it's only six thirty in the morning"

"I couldn't sleep" said Tara, "I think I'll go for a walk, take in the fresh Sunnydale air"

"I could come with you" said Willow as she looked up at Tara's smiling face.

"You should sleep" said Tara, "I know you've been practicing spells until late at night"

"I know" said Willow when she suddenly opened her eyes widely at Tara, "I didn't disturb you did i?"

"No" replied Tara

"Good" said Willow, "because Buffy asked me to try a modified location spell that could find that Soul Reaper but I've had no luck so far"

"I see" said Tara.

"Wanna work on it together tonight?" asked Willow.

"Do you think we can even find him?" asked Tara

"Its worth a try" said Willow

"Tell me honestly" said Tara as she looked at Willow, "Do you really think this Soul Reaper is a bad thing?"

"I don't know" admitted Willow, "But then again, Buffy is right. We don't have information on it. It could be simply waiting in the shadows before it strikes at the Scoobies, then Sunnydale and then we may be looking at an apocalypse"

"And Ichigo hasn't been much help" said Tara

"Nope" said Willow, "but it's ok, we'll find out about this Soul Reaper"

"Any news from the Council?" asked Tara

"Not yet" said Willow, "Giles said that he should hear something by later today"

"Oh" said Tara as she started to get up from bed.

"Are you really alright?" asked Willow.

"Yea" replied Tara as she looked back at the red headed girl, "I am. You should go back to sleep"

"By your command" smiled Willow as she lay her head back down on the pillow and went to sleep.

**Ichigo's Room, at the same time**

"No" said Ichigo as he suddenly awoke with a start from a deep sleep.

He had come back late after fighting off two hollow's and providing four soul burials for ghosts who resided at the ruins of the old Sunnydale High School.

"There was some dark reiatsu coming from that site" said Ichigo to himself.

"Hey Ichigo" said Kon.

"What?" asked Ichigo as he wiped the cobwebs off his eyes.

"Must have been some nightmare huh" said Kon.

"Just had a bad dream" said Ichigo.

"About?" said Kon.

"Doesn't matter" said Ichigo as he opened his blinds and the window and stuck his head out to breathe the fresh air.

"Come on Ichigo" said Kon as he jumped onto his bed from the top of Ichigo's book shelf, "it helps to talk about it"

"Had a dream that Aizen won the Winter War" said Ichigo, "he made the King's Key and took over Soul Society and wherever it is that the Soul King stays in"

"Oh" said Kon

"Dreamt I failed everyone" said Ichigo, "that my use of the Final Getsuga Tenshou on him failed and that he laughed at me as I felt my powers slowly fade away. I had to watch as he brought Karakura Town back into the living world and took all the souls to make the Key"

"That counts as a nightmare" said Kon.

"Whatever" said Ichigo as he walked back into the room, "I'm gonna go take a shower, start my day a bit early"

"What do you have planned?" asked Kon.

"Maybe go to Joyce's home and help out around the house if I can" said Ichigo.

"Why don't you asked Buffy out on a date?" asked Kon.

"She has someone already" said Ichigo

"Dawn?" said Kon

"Too young, you idiot" said Ichigo, "You want me to go jail or what, dumbass"

"Ok, ok" said Kon, "all I'm saying is that you should have some fun, especially since Inoue isn't here. It's just a date, it's not like you're going to do anything"

"Ha, ha… very funny" said Ichigo

"I dare you to ask at least one girl out" said Kon pointing his paw at him.

"I dare you to say another word, or else I'll have to stomp on your ass again" said Ichigo menacingly.

"Ok ok" said Kon.

"You could always ask Tara out" mumbled Kon to himself as Ichigo got into the shower.

"I heard that you idiot" said Ichigo.

"Dumbass" said Kon.

**Ichigo's Room, 45 minutes later**

"So you going for breakfast first?" asked Kon.

"Yep" said Ichigo, "the cafeteria foods not that great but its food"

"Well, you know you're always welcome at Buffy's house" said Kon as Ichigo simply glared at him.

Just then, Ichigo heard someone knocking on his door.

"I wonder who that could be this early in the morning" said Ichigo

"Yeah, as if you're the only one awake in the morning" said Kon sarcastically.

Ichigo quickly picked up the plush toy and put him on top of his book shelf, "Don't move" he had told Kon.

"Tara?" said Ichigo as he opened his door only to find the nervous blonde girl standing there early in the morning.

"G… Good morning, Ichigo" said Tara

"Yea, good morning" he replied

"I… I'm heading down for breakfast" said Tara, "would.. would you like to go?"

"I was heading there myself actually" said Ichigo as he glared at Kon who was giving him a thumbs up sign while Ichigo closed the door, "would like the company"

"I.. I was wondering" said Tara as they got into the elevator.

"About?" asked Ichigo confused.

"I.. I was wondering if… if you could tell me about the Winter War?" asked Tara just as the doors to the elevator closed.

"I'm sorry" said Ichigo, "the whole experience is still fresh in my mind"

"Was it that bad?" asked Tara

"Could have been much worse" replied Ichigo

"Do…do you have a ho…. hollow inside you?" asked Tara nervously

Ichigo closed his eyes and sighed as he decided to tell Tara the truth.

"I.. I just ask that you be honest" said Tara, "Anya was telling me a story she heard about how the hero of this Winter War had a monster inside of him but that he had lost his powers"

"Yes" said Ichigo

"But you still have your powers" said Tara nervously

"I got them back thanks to my friends" said Ichigo.

"Oh" replied Tara.

"Listen" said Ichigo, "are you sure you want to know everything?"

"Yes" said Tara, "But…"

"But?" asked Ichigo

"Do you really drag demons to hell?" asked Tara

"Nah" said Ichigo smiling, "I just said that to placate Anya"

"Oh" said Tara.

'_Thank God'_ thought Tara to herself, _'I was afraid that he'll send me to hell'_

"You ok?" asked Ichigo, "You look a little pale"

"Huh?"said Tara, "Oh, I'm alright. Really"

"OK" replied Ichigo, "How about we talk after breakfast?"

"OK" said Tara.

After breakfast, Ichigo and Tara walked to a quiet spot in the nearby park and sat on a bench as he recounted the events of the Winter War. He started with the events that occurred the first time her went to Soul Society and the incident with Aizen.

"So after you and your friends went to Soul Society, someone had killed this Captain Aizen?" asked Tara

"Yes" replied Ichigo, "but eventually it was discovered that it was all a ruse. He wanted to get something called the Hougyuko which Aizen claimed could help him, basically, become a god. Urahara told me that the true power it had was the ability to sense the desires of others, and then materialize it. But it could only be awakened a year later, in the winter"

"Thus the Winter War" said Tara

"Yes" said Ichigo as he looked out into space, "when I went to fight him the first time after he hurt the friend I was in Soul Society to rescue, he almost killed me before the other captains and their lieutenants intervened. He was so frighteningly powerful that he even took out one of the Captains singlehandedly"

"Are these Captains powerful?" asked Tara.

"Very" said Ichigo, "Rukia told me once that when the Captains come to the world of the living, they have a seal placed on their powers"

"A seal?" asked Tara

"Yes" said Ichigo, "she said that the seals were placed so that they could not influence the souls of the living world when a battle took place. The seal locks away 80% of a Soul Reapers powers, and just to unlock it requires special permission and only in the most dire situations"

"So in Soul Society, the captains are already at full strength?" asked Tara

"Yes"

"And Aizen still?" said Tara surprised

"Yes" said Ichigo as he looked at Tara

"Wow" said Tara

"He escaped, alongside two other Captains to Hueco Mundo" said Ichigo, "the home of the Hollows"

Ichigo then told her about what happened in Hueco Mundo with the kidnapping of Inoue, the various battles against the Espada, his turning into a full hollow after his supposed death at the hands of Ulquirra and the latter's death at Hollow Ichigo's hands, which led to him returning to the Fake Karakura Town to aid the other Soul Reapers in taking down Aizen.

"Whats so special about Karakura Town?" asked Tara

"Its the current place in the living world that possesses the greatest concentration of spiritual beings, so it is extremely charged with spiritual energy" said Ichigo

"Ok" replied Tara as she nodded in understanding

"He wanted to destroy Karakura so that he could make the King's Key" said Ichigo

"Kings Key?" asked Tara

"From what I was told" said Ichigo, "the King's Key allows passage to the palace of the Soul King; and no, I have absolutely no idea what role he or she plays in Soul Society"

"So you and the others managed to defeat Aizen in the fake version of Karakura?" asked Tara as she looked at Ichigo

"No" said Ichigo, "although one of the Captains who joined with him was killed, he still singlehandedly defeated everyone"

"No way" said Tara surprised

"Eventually my dad came to my aid" said Ichigo

"Your dad?" asked Tara surprised, "what a minute, you're telling me that your father is a Soul Reaper?"

"Yep" said Ichigo, "Now imagine my surprise"

"Wow" said Tara

"I know right?" said Ichigo, "anyway, even with him, Urahara and Yuruichi; we still failed to stop him. After he and his subordinate defeated us, they went on to Soul Society where the real Karakura Town was located; its population under a spell to keep them asleep"

"No" said Tara

"Well to make a long story short" said Ichigo, "on the way back to Soul Society with my dad, he helped me to attain a technique known as the Final Getsuga Tenshou. It meant that once I used this technique, I would lose my Soul Reaper powers"

"Did you?" asked Tara, "Attain it, I mean"

"Yes" said Ichigo, "and I unleashed its full power at Aizen after a short fight, after he almost killed my friends"

"The hero with a monster inside him lost his powers after the Winter War" said Tara to herself before looking at Ichigo, "you're the hero aren't you?"

"I'm no hero" said Ichigo, "I just did what I had to do"

"I think I understand now" said Tara

"I hope that I answered all your questions?" asked Ichigo

"Except for that bit about the hollow inside you" said Tara smiling

"Well" said Ichigo as he returned her smile, "where's the fun if I give every mystery about myself away to people?"

"True" said Tara

"Just know that I'm here to help if I can" said Ichigo, "if my help isn't needed then I'll try my best not to interfere"

"You're talking about Buffy?" asked Tara

"Yes" said Ichigo, "she's a slayer who deals with the vampires and demons. I'm a Soul Reaper who deals with Hollows. If I find that any of you needs help, then I'll interfere. Not before that"

"I think you should" said Tara, "Buffy takes a lot onto her shoulders"

"I see" said Ichigo

"Maybe one day I'll tell her about me" said Ichigo, "but not today or anytime soon"

"Very well" said Tara, "Your secret will continue to be safe with me and Anya"

"Thanks Tara" said Ichigo as he got up from the bench, "I'm headed to Joyce's home"

"I've got to get back to Willow" smiled Tara, "maybe we'll see you there later"

"Looking forward to it Tara" said Ichigo as the both of them went on their separate ways.

TBC


	9. Clouds and Meetings

**The Summers' Residence, four months later**

It's been fourmonths since Ichigo first came to Sunnydale from Karakura Town, four months since he met the women from the Summers' family and the friends of the eldest daughter, Buffy. During those four months, Ichigo had gotten much closer to Tara who was one of the people, including Anya, who now shared Ichigo's secret and did everything they could to throw the scent off him when the Scooby gang was looking for the mysterious Soul Reaper.

Ichigo felt bad about hiding himself from these people, but for now it was the logical choice. He was afraid that they wouldn't be able to handle him being a Soul Reaper, with so many different versions of stories about the Shinigami and what they do, he was scared that his budding friendship with them would be ruined.

During those four months, he came around more to the Summers home especially to help the family around the home. He heard from Buffy and Dawn that Joyce wasn't doing too well due to some mysterious headaches. Today was no different as he came up to the Summers home to help around the house.

"Hello" said Ichigo as he opened the front door to the Summers home, "anyone home?"

"In the kitchen!" shouted Buffy and Dawn

"Hey" said Ichigo as he walked over to where the two young women were standing with a tray of pancakes and orange juice on the counter.

"Morning Ichigo" said Dawn with a smile, "guess what I made mom?"

"Ummm.. Pancakes?" said Ichigo with a smile as he glanced over at a scowling Buffy.

"You know" said Buffy as she stared at Dawn, "you're not the one who made it"

"Yea" said Dawn, "you helped"

Ichigo smiled as he saw the anger build in Buffy before she finally stood up and went to meet her mother.

"So Ichigo" said Dawn, "what are your plans today?"

'_Any Soul Reapery things you're doing today?' _thought Dawn to herself.

"Nothing much" said Ichigo, "just helping Joyce with any chores she may have for me. How about you?"

"Same here" said Dawn smiling, "maybe I can hang out with you"

"Ummmm…. Ahhhhh" said Ichigo as he scratched his head nervously.

"No" said Buffy as she walked in behind Ichigo, "you're going with me to the Magic Box"

"I thought you didn't want me to go?" asked Dawn as Buffy pulled her away from Ichigo.

"Nope" said Buffy as she smiled at the nervous looking Ichigo, "you're coming with me, no need to make Ichigo anymore uncomfortable than he already is"

"Come on" said Dawn, "let me stay"

"No" said Buffy as she pulled her away.

"Ichigo" said Dawn as she grinned at Ichigo, "you want me to stay right?"

"Oh look" said Ichigo as he took out his cell phone, "I've got a call, I need to take this. Sorry"

Buffy couldn't help but laugh as Ichigo escaped to the backyard while she told Dawn to go to her room and freshen up for her trip with them to the Magic Box. While Dawn was getting ready, Buffy looked outside and saw that Ichigo was lying on the grass and looking up into the sky. Wondering what he was up to, she stepped out to the backyard.

"Ummmm….. Ichigo?" said Buffy, "what'cha doin'?"

"Just lying on the grass and looking at the clouds" said Ichigo.

"Mind if I join you?" said Buffy, "I'm getting a headache from Dawn"

"Sure" said Ichigo with a smile as Buffy lay down on the grass next to him.

"So" said Buffy, "what are we looking at?"

"Just the funny shapes of the clouds" said Ichigo.

"Ah" replied Buffy.

"Yep" said Ichigo.

"Thank you" said Buffy quietly.

"For?" asked Ichigo.

"Looking after my mom and Dawn when I'm away" said Buffy.

"It's nothing" said Ichigo, "It's my pleasure. The least I could do since you guys have been helping me ever since I got here"

"You know" said Buffy, "you never did show me the pictures of your family"

"Huh?" said Ichigo.

"Remember when you first came here" said Buffy, "you said you'll show me pictures of your family"

"Oh, right" said Ichigo as he took out his phone, "the ones on my phone"

"Yeah" laughed Buffy who put her head up just as Dawn came through the backdoor to the backyard.

"Hey" said Dawn, "that looks fun, can I join?"

"The more the merrier" said Ichigo smiling as Dawn came down the stairs and lay next to Buffy.

"Hey look" said Dawn as she pointed up in the sky, "an elephant riding a plane"

Ichigo and Buffy simply stared at Dawn as she laughed, "what? It's a thing"

"Sure it is Dawn" said Buffy as Ichigo handed his phone to Buffy.

"Hey" said Buffy, "your sisters are adorable"

"Whatcha looking at?" asked Dawn

"Pictures of Ichigo's family" said Buffy as she showed the pictures on the phone to Dawn.

"The youngest is Yuzu and the middle sister is Karin" said Ichigo

"They're so cute" said Buffy

"Oh, is that your dad?" asked Dawn as she pointed at the man who was in a very funny pose.

"Yep" said Ichigo smiling, "that's my idiot father"

Buffy and Dawn laughed when he described the weird things that Isshin would do when he thought Ichigo was unaware.

"So your dad would test your reflexes by literally kicking you out of bed every morning?" asked Buffy as she tried not to laugh.

"Yep" said Ichigo as Buffy and Dawn couldn't help it anymore and exploded into fits of laughter.

"Hey" said Dawn as she and Buffy eventually calmed down, "who are these three?"

"Oh" said Ichigo, "that's Rukia, one of my best friends, Tatsuki, my oldest friend and the orange haired girl is Inoue. We're very close"

"Girlfriend?" asked Buffy

"Well" said Ichigo as he recalled the conversation that he had with her that morning, "we're close"

"That doesn't say much, does it?" smiled Buffy.

"Now who's fishing for information" mumbled Dawn.

"She's someone I care for very deeply" said Ichigo, "but no we're not together"

'_Not anymore'_, Ichigo thought to himself.

"Ah" said Buffy as she looked at the picture of Ichigo in the middle of the two girls.

"Ummm… Ichigo" said Dawn as she grabbed his phone from Buffy's hands, "all of these are pictures of you, your father and sisters, where's the current pictures of your mother"

Buffy looked over at Ichigo and saw the sadness in his eyes that her mother had described to them when he first came to Sunnydale.

"Dawn" said Buffy as she sat up, "I think we had better get going to the Magic Box, Giles is waiting for us"

"Come on Buffy" said Dawn pouting.

"My mother died when I was nine years old" said Ichigo softly as Buffy and Dawn looked at him in shock.

"I… I'm sorry" said Dawn.

"When you were nine?" said Buffy.

"Yea" said Ichigo as he sat up and sighed, "we were on the way home from my Karate lesson when someone came running towards me with a knife"

Ichigo hated to lie to these people, but he hoped that eventually they would understand why he did it.

"Don't tell me…" said Buffy as she looked at Ichigo with her hands over her mouth.

"I must have passed out because the next thing I knew" said Ichigo, "I was on the ground with my mother's body covering me, but she was already gone"

"Dawn" said Buffy as she glanced at her sister, "go wait outside"

"O…. ok" said Dawn as she slowly got up, "I'm sorry Ichigo"

Dawn then walked back into the house as she looked back at Ichigo and felt her heart break.

"I'm sorry for Dawn pushing you like that" said Buffy, "sometimes I don't know what's wrong with her"

"She's a younger sister" said Ichigo smiling, "the younger ones are supposed to torture the older brothers and sisters"

"True" said Buffy as she turned to face Ichigo, "Did they ever catch the one who murdered your mom?"

"Yes" said Ichigo, "he already paid the price"

"I see" said Buffy, "I don't know what I'd do if mom died"

"You'd mourn" said Ichigo, "then mourn some more until someone tells you that you're not the only one who's mourning. Then they tell you how your mourning affects them and the people around you, and then slowly you move on. You still remember the one who's gone, but move on"

"I take it that was your experience?" asked Buffy softly

"Yep" said Ichigo as he got up and held out his hand which Buffy grabbed. Pulling her up, she straightened her shirt and jeans.

"I'm going to Giles' shop, the Magic Box" said Buffy, "You're more than welcome to come along"

"Maybe later" said Ichigo, "I gotta help Joyce with some of this gardening stuff"

"Alright then" said Buffy as she turned around and walked back into the house, "I'll see you later"

"Yup" said Ichigo as he saw Buffy walk through the door and into the house.

"She was the center of my family" said Ichigo to himself, "and everything that went on with the family revolved around her"

Ichigo then looked up to the sky before starting his chores, "I hope you're ok up there mom"

**U.C. Sunnydale Dorms**

Tara was changing for bed when she saw a bright light outside her room window. Thinking that maybe someone was playing a prank on her by shining a light into her room, she opened the window and was ready to tell the person or person's off when she looked down, and stopped.

She looked on with her mouth open as all she could see was a sliding door like the ones in traditional Japanese homes hanging in the air. She saw as the door opened and out stepped a woman; a black haired woman with a sword on her waist. Tara noticed that she was wearing the same black robes as Ichigo but her sword didn't look anything like his. She then noticed the beautiful looking silver sleeves she had on her forearms and there was some sort of badge that was wrapped around her upper left arm. She squinted her eyes to take a closer look but it became dark once again once the door had closed.

Tara opened her window and cautiously peeked out.

'_She's a Soul Reaper'_ thought Tara to herself as she saw this new Soul Reaper walk on the air towards Ichigo's window which happened to be just one floor down.

Tara saw her knock on Ichigo's window and looked on in shock as the woman pull her arm back and give Ichigo a punch right after he opened his window. She tried not to laugh as she heard him curse the woman out, in-between crying out in pain.

"Rukia!" said Ichigo as her punch literally knocked his spirit body out of his living one, "What was that for?"

"Just had to deliver a message on behalf of Inoue" said Rukia.

'_Rukia?'_ thought Tara as she overheard what Rukia was talking about, _'who's Inoue'_

"Ahem" said a voice right outside Tara's window, "You do realize it's rude to hear other people's conversations right?"

"Ummm…. Umm…." said Tara as she stood up from behind the window sill and stepped back.

"Hey Tara" said Ichigo as he stepped behind Rukia holding his nose.

"You know this woman?" asked Rukia.

"May we come in Tara?" asked Ichigo with a smile.

"S…. sure" said Tara nervously as Ichigo and Rukia came into her room.

"Tara, this is Rukia" said Ichigo, "Rukia, this is Tara"

"Oh" said Rukia, "this is the Kido practitioner you were talking to me about?"

"Kido?" asked Tara

"It's something like magic" said Ichigo.

"Yea" said Rukia as she stared at Ichigo before looking at Tara again with a smile, "you must have a fairly high degree of spiritual power or else you wouldn't have been able to practice magic or see us"

"Ah…. Thanks?" said Tara, "if you don't mind me asking, why…. why did you punch Ichigo?"

"Oh" said Rukia, "this idiot just left someone who's crazy about him"

"Oh" said Tara as she stared at Ichigo, "Why?"

"It doesn't matter" said Ichigo as he scratched his head.

The next thing he knew, Tara had smacked his head with the back of her hand.

"Hey" said Ichigo as he nursed the bruise forming on the area where Tara smacked him, "what was that for?"

"For leaving someone who's crazy about you" said Tara.

"I like her" said Rukia as she smiled at Ichigo.

"I feel like I'm being ganged up upon here" said Ichigo.

Just then Ichigo felt a great amount of reiatsu hit him.

"Rukia" said Ichigo as he straightened up and looked outside Tara's window, "do you feel that?"

"Feel what?" asked Tara confused.

"Yes" said Rukia, "whatever's creating this reiatsu is not good"

"It's the same one I felt when I first came here" said Ichigo.

"Ummm….. Guys?" said Tara, "what are you…."

Suddenly Tara opened her eyes wide as she too felt an overwhelming pressure coming from somewhere outside in Sunnydale.

"You feel that too?" asked Rukia as she looked in surprise at Tara.

"I wasn't supposed to?" asked Tara as she sat on her bed.

"Ichigo" said Rukia, "we need to check out whatever that thing is"

"Let's go" said Ichigo before he turned to face Tara, "will you be alright?"

"Yes" she replied, "go"

Ichigo nodded as he and Rukia flew up into the sky.

"It's coming from there" said Rukia as she pointed in the direction towards some warehouses in the distance.

"Let's go" said Ichigo as he and Rukia flash stepped to the warehouse the bursts of reiatsu were coming from.

It took them only a few seconds before they flashed stepped onto the roof of the warehouse the bursts of immense reiatsu were coming from. Ichigo and Rukia ran to one of the many skylights to take a peek at what was going on inside the building.

"Oh no" said Ichigo as he caught a glimpse of Buffy as she punched a lady in a red dress before the Slayer herself was flung against a wall.

"Ichigo" said Rukia as she drew out her sword, Sode no Shirayuki.

"Right" said Ichigo as he drew out Zangetsu and the two Soul Reapers crashed through the skylight and stood in between the downed Slayer and the lady in the red dress.

TBC


	10. Woman in a Red Dress

**Unknown Warehouse, Sunnydale, 10 minutes ago**

After Buffy had conducted a spell at home, she found that there could be something wrong with Dawn, that maybe she was the one who was making their mother sick by giving her these deliberating headaches. As she entered the warehouse silently she remembered how she put her sister, or whatever Dawn was, against the wall and threatened her.

"You are not my sister" she told Dawn coldly as she shoved her against the wall. Buffy remembered how shocked Dawn looked before she became furious and stormed off. Before Buffy could even follow her, she received a phone call from Giles about an object that a night watchman at the warehouse picked up from the ground and handed it to her the previous night, as he thought that it was Buffy's property. That night when she was patrolling the area, she came across a guard who gave her a circular object which Giles later found out was known as the Dagon Sphere, it was an object that was meant to reject or repel what Giles had referred to as 'ancient primordial evil'.

'_Thanks Giles'_ thought Buffy to herself sarcastically, '_That really does help me lots'_

That was the reason why she returned to the mysterious warehouse where the Dagon Sphere was found, as earlier that day, she found that the security guard who had handed the sphere to her had gone insane. She met him in the hospital as he was being taken to their special care wing. She was terrified after he told her that someone would be coming to get her through her family.

'_Could it be Dawn?'_ thought Buffy to herself as she entered the warehouse, _'Why was she fading away from the pictures in the house during my trance, why was she fading in and out when she was standing just inches from me? Is she the one that's dangerous? Could it be this Soul Reaper thing that's supposed to come after me through my family? So many things going on all at once'_

Slowly Buffy went up the flights of stairs until she reached the top floor which was brightly lit when compared to the other floors. Walking cautiously forward, she noticed that there was an entire wall that was shattered from the outside. Looking down at the floor, she shone her torch light at the battered and destroyed blast door and then looked up when she heard a noise. She saw someone sitting on a chair in the far end of the room. Looking closely, she could see that he was bleeding and bruised.

'_That guy was tortured'_ though Buffy to herself as she ran to him.

"Hey guy" said Buffy as she started to untie the ropes that held his arms and legs together, "It was you who planted the Dagon Sphere right? I found it and don't worry; I'm much, much stronger than I look"

Buffy looked up at the man and saw abject fear in his eyes as she sensed someone or something walking up right behind her.

"Don't worry" said Buffy as she tried to alleviate some of his fear, "I've had experience with this type of stuff before and best of all, no matter how I look or sound….".

"I'm not stupid" said Buffy coldly as she stood up and turned around before grabbing the throat of a mysterious woman wearing a red dress.

"Oh" said the woman, "nice reflexes"

Buffy then looked on as the woman wrenched Buffy's hand from her neck and backhanded her with such force that she flew a few feet back until she hit a side wall made of concrete, cracking the hard substance. Once Buffy fell back onto the floor, she looked back at the woman surprised.

"You really sure about that?" said the woman as she walked towards Buffy and picked her up by the neck.

Struggling, Buffy pushed the hand that was grabbing her neck before she turned and launched a kick at the woman's torso, effectively knocking the woman back. Buffy then walked towards her and launched a punch at the woman, her knuckles connecting with the woman's face.

The woman punched Buffy back, leading to her being flung against another wall which cracked from the force that was used.

"Wow" said the woman as she rubbed her cheek, "it looks like you have superpowers"

Just then both the woman and Buffy looked up as something crashed through the skylight and rained broken pieces of glass in between them. Buffy looked surprised as there was nothing there in front of her, although she felt some force that put pressure on her.

"What the hell?" said Buffy as she struggled to get up.

"What the hell is right" said the woman as she glared at Buffy "looks like you've got protection"

"What protection you crazy… person?" said Buffy, unable to come up with a more creative term to call this woman.

"You don't see them?" said the woman, "oh you're missing such an interesting sight"

"What?" said Buffy as she finally managed to overcome the pressure that held her down and was now standing up in an offensive stance, ready to attack this woman.

"Ichigo" whispered Rukia as she glanced back, "that woman?"

"Yea" said Ichigo, "she's a fighter but the one right in front of us; I have no idea who she is"

"Wait" said the woman, "the both of you are Soul Reapers and you don't know who I am?"

"Soul Reapers?" said Buffy as she stared at the woman, "Reapers? As in more than one?"

"Are you deaf?" said the woman as she stared at Buffy.

"Who are you?" asked Rukia as she held up Sode no Shirayuki.

"My name is a holy name" said the woman, "you aren't worthy to even hear it".

"Ok" said Ichigo as he held up Zangetsu, "that doesn't really tell us anything"

The two Soul Reapers saw a hint of a smile on the woman's lips as she moved at super speed in front of Rukia who, to her surprise, was unprepared to evade the punch that was coming towards her from the woman. The punch launched Rukia backwards into Buffy who was also knocked back.

"What the hell?" said Buffy as she felt something hit her hard and in turn made her fly backwards into the wall.

"Damn it" said Rukia as she slowly got up from the floor after hitting the ground. She looked back at Buffy and saw that she was injured from the force of the impact and immediately started on a healing kido spell.

"Ichigo" said Rukia, "just hold her back for a few seconds while I heal her"

The woman then used her speed to come up behind Rukia as she was healing Buffy.

'_This woman took a beating, and is still alive and healing incredibly fast'_ thought Rukia to herself, '_who is she?"_

"Behind you" said Buffy softly as she opened her eyes and saw a greyish, hazy outline of a human body. She looked on as the figure seemed to emit a greenish light, from what seemed to be hands, on her chest.

"You can see me?" said Rukia just as she sensed danger from behind her and slowly turned her head only to see the crazy woman from before move into position to kick her down. Rukia had a split second decision to make, either continue healing Buffy or move aside in which case the crazy woman's kick would hit Buffy.

Just as the woman's kick almost connected with Rukia, there was a rush of air right in front of her and Buffy as Ichigo flash stepped in front of Rukia and used the flat side of Zangetsu to block the kick.

"Rukia" said Ichigo and he used Zangetsu to push the woman away, "is she alright?"

"Yes" said Rukia, "who is she?"

"Explanations later" said Ichigo as he launched himself into another attack against the woman.

"Who are you?" said Buffy as she stared at the hazy figure in front of her.

"You can't see us?" asked Rukia as Buffy slowly stood up.

Buffy looked on as the woman was getting continuously hit by an invisible force, _'no not invisible, I can see something, like it's there but then again it's not there. It's like the figure with the green light in front of me'_ Buffy thought to herself. Then the woman blocked an attack from the other hazy figure, held her hand out and grabbed what Buffy guessed was a neck and made a throwing gesture to the other side of the warehouse where she suddenly saw the wall crack and debris fall from the roof.

Seeing how the woman was slightly dazed, Buffy quickly ran towards her.

"Hey wait" said Rukia just as Buffy connected a kick onto the crazy woman's stomach.

"Whoa" said Rukia as she saw the woman in the red dress move back a few feet. Rukia looked on as Buffy pressed her attacks on the woman, kicking and punching for all it's worth and even pushing her back a few feet. Rukia grabbed her sword just when the woman grabbed Buffy's arm and swung her towards the same area that she swung Ichigo.

"Ichigo!" shouted Rukia

Ichigo quickly got up from his own impact and used his body as a cushion as he caught Buffy before she hit the wall.

"What the?!" said Buffy once the other hazy figure put her down after preventing her from impacting the wall, "Who are you people? Why can't I see you clearly? Why can't I even hear you?"

"I'll explain everything I swear" said Ichigo, even though he knew that Buffy couldn't hear him, just as the surrounding air started to get vary chilly. Buffy turned around as she saw the other figure land right next to them carrying the injured man who was previously in the chair.

"Hey" said the woman in the red dress as she started to walk towards the group, "give me back my monk, he knows where my key is"

"Rukia" said Ichigo.

"I know" said Rukia as she stood up and held out her sword, "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki"

Buffy looked on as the hazy figure seemed to turn an object in a clockwise direction. Buffy then wrapped her arms around herself and shivered as she felt a stinging cold wind mysteriously appear out of nowhere. Suddenly the cold was considerably lessened as she saw the other figure that moved to stand in front of her, taking away the brunt of the cold wind before it finally abated and he moved back to the side.

"Oooooo..." said the woman, "nice sword, I like it better in red…"

"What sword are you talking about?" said Buffy.

"You still don't see them do you?" said the woman as she turned to Rukia and Ichigo, "Come on, just hand me my monk and then I'll be on my way. I just want to go home, and to do that I need my key"

Ichigo and Rukia looked at each other confused, "What's this key thing you keep on babbling about?"

"You know, it's a little green energy ball" said the woman.

'_Green energy?'_ thought Ichigo to himself, _'Something about that… I think Kon said something the first day I got here…. Oh no! Dawn!'_

"Ichigo?" said Rukia as she saw her friend deep in thought.

"Nothing" said Ichigo.

"Alright" said Rukia, "Concentrate on this fight"

"Sure" he replied.

Ichigo saw that the woman was ready to run at high speed towards them so he swung Zangetsu down towards the woman, "Getsuga Tenshou"

The mysterious woman looked on with her eyes wide open as the wave of blue energy hit her and threw her back.

"What the hell?" said Buffy as she stepped back. She saw the hazy figure swing something as a bright blue energy crescent shaped energy wave appear and hit the woman in the red dress head on. She then saw the figures appear to turn towards her and she immediately went into an offensive stance to protect herself.

"So you took care of her and now you're coming after me?" said Buffy, "is that it?"

Buffy then looked behind them with her eyes wide open.

"Buffy?" said Ichigo as he and Rukia quickly turned around, only to see the mysterious woman slowly stand up again.

"How?" said Ichigo as he brought up Zangetsu.

"Tsugi no mai, Hakuren" said Rukia as she instantly flash froze the mysterious woman just as she was prepared to make a run towards them.

"That should stop her" said Rukia as she turned at looked at Buffy, "this woman seems to be special"

"She is" said Ichigo as he looked at Buffy.

"Wait" said Rukia, "don't tell me you left Inoue for her"

"You dumbass" said Ichigo, "the whole long distance thing troubled both of us so we mutually decided it would be better to take a break, maybe we'll get back together again sometime; but this really isn't the best place to be discussing all of that"

Suddenly, Ichigo saw Rukia's eyes widen in surprise as she turned around and brought up her sword for another attack.

"Ichigo!" said Rukia as she stared at the waved of frozen water that encapsulated the woman.

"What?" said Ichigo as he turned around.

"Look" said Rukia as she point to several cracks that were forming in the ice.

Buffy too was looking at the frozen wave of ice that covered the mysterious woman as it started to slowly crack from the inside.

'_Seriously, what the hell is going on here' _thought Buffy to herself, _'first a blue energy thingy appears out of nowhere, and now a huge block of ice that's covering the woman. And she said Soul Reapers, are these the powers of a Soul Reaper? Are we in danger? How the hell can I fight a crazy woman who's powerful as hell and Soul Reapers that have this kind of power? I hope Giles and Willow have news, or else we're in the pooper'_

"What the….?" Said Ichigo just as the ice exploded. He covered Buffy to prevent the ice debris from hitting her while Rukia covered the monk.

"How could you?!" said the Woman incredulously as she stared at the group of people who were staring at her in surprise, "Do you know how expensive this dress is? It's wet, you ruined it. Even my make-up's running onto it now. And my hair, what the hell did you do to my hair. Why you…."

Ichigo and Rukia stood protectively in front of Buffy and the monk respectively as they held their swords up for another round. The three of them looked on as the woman make one step forward and tripped.

"My shoe" said the woman, "you crazy people broke my shoe!"

The woman then started to stamp her foot onto the ground and Rukia could see that cracks were beginning to form on the floor, the walls and the ceiling.

"Ichigo, we need to get out of here now" said Rukia as she grabbed the monk and flash stepped outside of the warehouse and waited for Ichigo on the roof of the next building.

"Buffy" said Ichigo as he carried her, "let's get out of here"

Buffy saw as one of the hazy figures seemed to grab a hold of the monk and vanish.

"What the?" said Buffy before she realized that the other figure had her in what seemed to be arms. She looked at the figure that was carrying her, trying to make out some distinguishing feature about it so that she could tell Giles. But before she could do any of that, she felt her entire world around her go blurry before she found herself on another building's roof that was right across from the warehouse.

Once they had reached the other roof, Buffy felt the figured holding her put her down onto the solid structure of the roof and she walked a few steps back looking at the figure that was looking at her. It was then she realized that there was another person with her, the one that woman said was a monk.

She turned around and saw that the second hazy figure had put him against the side of a wall and had stepped back. Buffy quickly ran over to him as the two figures stayed back.

"Soul Reapers" said the monk.

"You can see them?" asked Buffy as she crouched in front of him.

"Please" said the monk as he looked at Ichigo and Rukia, "you must help her protect the key"

"What key?" Rukia asked Ichigo.

"What key?" asked Buffy as she moved her head into the monks line of sight.

"The key is energy" said the monk as his eyes settled on Buffy's face, "It's a portal, it opens the door"

"The Dagon Sphere?" asked Buffy

"No" replied the monk as he stared at Buffy, "for centuries it had no form at all, we were its only keepers. And then the abomination found us. We had to hide the key, gave it form, molded it flesh and sent it to you"

"Dawn" said Buffy stunned, "you sent that thing to me?"

"We knew that the Slayer would protect it" said the monk.

"Slayer?" said Rukia as she looked at Ichigo

"Yea" replied Ichigo, "Urahara said that they're female warriors who fight vampires and demons and other stuff"

"I've heard of them" said Rukia, "never met one until now"

Ichigo noticed that Rukia's face got much more serious.

"You know what this key is? This Dawn?" said Rukia.

"Yes" replied Ichigo, "her younger sister"

"What?" said Rukia as she turned to Ichigo in surprise.

"Please" said the monk as he moved his eyes between Buffy and Rukia and Ichigo, "she is an innocent, help the Slayer protect her. She does not know who or what she is. Please protect her. I beg of you"

"Wait" said Buffy as the monk slowly closed his eyes and breathed his last, "please, help me"

"Please help her" said the spirit of the monk who just slipped out of his now dead body with his chain of fate already cut.

"Who is that woman?" asked Rukia.

"My brethren call her the Beast" said the Monk

"That really doesn't help" said Ichigo.

"Others call her Glorificus" said the Monk, "or Glory"

"I see" said Rukia as she stepped towards the monk and took out her sword and stamped the hilt onto his forehead, "we would need your help in Soul Society if we are to defeat this monster"

"I will do what I can" said the Monk smiling as he slowly sank into a bright blue light, "thank you for agreeing to protect the Key."

"We'll do what we can" said Rukia as the monk disappeared and in his place appeared a black butterfly that flew up into the air and vanished.

"You'll need to tell her about yourself" said Rukia, "this Glory saw her, she can now attack her at anytime. She could even use her family against her"

"I know" said Ichigo as the both of them watched Buffy stand up and turn around and stare at them before she turned around and ran as fast as she could.

"She's a strong fighter" said Rukia, "for a human"

"Yes she is" said Ichigo.

"Anyway, I should get back and report this" said Rukia.

"Rukia" said Ichigo, "please don't tell anyone about Dawn? At least not yet"

"Ichigo" said Rukia.

"Right now, no one knows she's this Key" said Ichigo, "if Shinigami start to protect her or come after her, then Glory will know and she could strike first before the Gotei 13 has a plan in motion"

"You're right" said Rukia, "I'll mention the Key but won't say who it is. That way we can have a plan of attack should the need arise"

"Thanks" said Ichigo as he noticed Rukia turn around and stick her sword straight into thin air before turning it in a clockwise direction.

He squinted his eyes against the bright light of a Senkaimon appearing and opening its characteristic Japanese style doors.

"Oh" said Rukia, "I found that woman you were looking for, and you have permission from the Captain Commander to bring the female, through Urahara's special doorway, to Soul Society"

Rukia reached into her uniform and took out a piece of paper which she handed over to Ichigo.

"Go with her to that address tomorrow" said Rukia, "Urahara should have the doorway ready by then"

"Thanks" said Ichigo.

"This is highly unusual just for a friend Ichigo" said Rukia

"She helped me out a lot since I came to Sunnydale" said Ichigo, "more than the others actually. Plus I think everyone deserves to see their deceased mother every year during their birthday, don't you think?"

"True" said Rukia as she walked through the doors, "Good luck, I'll come by again soon to visit you, maybe bring Renji along"

"Thanks Rukia, would be nice to see him again" said Ichigo as the door closed and disappeared.

Ichigo then turned around and faced the way that Buffy ran, "I'll help you protect Dawn Buffy. I may not reveal myself yet.. But I'll still help you however I can"

TBC


	11. Tara the Demon?

**Unknown Warehouse, Sunnydale **

After the Senkaimon had closed up and Buffy had run off towards home, Ichigo was standing at the ruins of the warehouse. Looking around, he saw that Glory had destroyed the entire building but no matter how much he searched, he couldn't find her body anywhere.

'_What is she?' _Ichigo thought to himself, '_A demon? She can't be an Arrancar or anything from Hueco Mundo, she doesn't even have a hollow mask. And what does she want with the Key? The monk said it opens a door, but a door to what? I hope Rukia finds out something'_

"Umm…. Since there's nothing here, maybe I should check up on Buffy" said Ichigo to himself, "make sure she's alright"

As Ichigo jumped into the air, he failed to notice a man in a red dress hobbling away in the other direction.

"Ah there she is" said Ichigo as he flash stepped right over her area. He watched her as she walked into her neighbourhood and walked onto her foyer. He saw her suddenly stop and turn around, looking around her house suspiciously. She walked cautiously onto her lawn and looked down both ends of the street she was on.

'_Can she sense me?_' thought Ichigo to herself as he noticed that Buffy kept on looking around before she apparently gave up and walked back into her house.

'_I'll tell you what you need to know later, Buffy'_ thought Ichigo to himself, _'I need to find out what's going on first though, hopefully Rukia can give me some information quick'_

**Summer's Residence, one hour later**

Buffy had called Giles, her watcher, to come to her home as soon as possible. She had to tell him about the lady in the red dress and what she had found out about Dawn, before she could talk to him about the whole thing with the Soul Reapers that she encountered.

"Buffy" said Giles, still in shock after what Buffy had revealed about Dawn, "I really don't know what to say"

"Tell me about it" replied Buffy as she kept on looking at the stairs.

"Dawn has no idea?" asked Giles

"None, she thinks that she's my kid sister" said Buffy

"Will you tell her?" asked Giles

"How can I?" said Buffy, "she'll freak out even more, all I know is that I need to protect her. I need to keep her safe"

"Buffy" said Giles with worry etched on his face, "this woman…. Whatever she is… she knows you now… she knows what you look like… do you think maybe it's a good time to send Dawn away?"

"To where?" said Buffy as she sat down.

"Your father?" asked Giles

"It's no use" said Buffy, "he's not answering any of my calls; he's probably living the high life with his secretary"

"Sorry" replied Giles

"Giles, they sent her to me. I have to protect her…. I want to" said Buffy

"Do we tell the others?" asked Giles

"No… we tell no-one" said Buffy, "if we do, then they'll just act weird around her and…. It would be safer for them if they don't know"

"Are you sure?" asked Giles, "we may need their help in researching whatever this woman is"

"No" said Buffy

"She'll come after you Buffy" said Giles.

"I know" said Buffy

"I'm here for you" said Giles as he held her hands, "whatever you need"

"There's something else" said Buffy, "there were two Soul Reapers in the same warehouse"

"Wait" said Giles surprised, "Two? Are you alright? Did you see them?"

"Yea, I'm alright" said Buffy, "they didn't harm me, one of them actually carried me out of the warehouse… it was kinda sweet actually…. Except for that whole 'I can't see them' thing"

"You think they could be allies?" asked Giles

"I don't know" said Buffy, "maybe they're here to cause the apocalypse but this crazy woman threw a wrench into their plans? At best, we have a common enemy. Anything from the Council?"

"They're stumped" said Giles, "they don't have many materials on Soul Reapers, the information they have is the same as I've already told you"

"Which is nothing" said Buffy as she looked up at Giles once she realized what she had said, "I'm sorry"

"No" said Giles smiling, "you're right, we don't know much about these Soul Reapers"

"I know they seem to be powerful" said Buffy

"What do you mean?" asked Giles

"All I was able to see were two hazy outlines" said Buffy, "one released some sort of blue energy wave and the other one froze that woman in place"

"Really?" said Giles as he took off his glasses

"But she still survived" said Buffy

"Still" said Giles, "we need to find who they are, I believe that they can be valuable allies in protecting Dawn"

"I'll ask Willow and Tara to perform a location spell or a summoning" said Buffy

"Yes.. yes" said Giles, "something that would draw out the Soul Reapers, we'd also need a containment spell to hold whoever it is in place while we try to convince him or her to help us"

"Tomorrow then?" said Buffy

"Yes" said Giles as he got up from the couch and walked towards the door.

"Are you sure you want to move all your things from the dorm back home?" asked Giles as he turned around.

"Yes" said Buffy, "I mean I've been living at home ever since mom got sick anyway, might as well make it official"

"Alright" said Giles and he stepped out of her house, "I'll see you tomorrow morning then"

"Thanks" replied Buffy

"Take care of yourself" said Giles

"I will"

**U.C Sunnydale Dorms**

"Yeah… yeah… Hold on… I'm up" said Ichigo as he just woke up from a deep sleep and checked his watched.

'_Who could be knocking on my door at…. Wait… it's eleven in the morning?'_ thought Ichigo to himself as he got out of bed, _'that's what I get for sleeping at four in the morning… luckily it's the weekend…. At least these hollows are considerate, most come out during the weekends'_

A groggy Ichigo opened his door only to see a grinning Willow.

"Morning Ichigo" said Willow

"Morning" said Ichigo as he tried to stifle a yawn, "you're up early"

"Its eleven in the morning" said Willow smiling.

"I know…. It's the weekend… rule is never wake up before one in the afternoon" said Ichigo

"Right" said Willow as she started fidgeting.

"Everything alright?" asked Ichigo

"I just wanted to remind you about Tara's birthday party tomorrow" said Willow

"Yeah" said Ichigo smiling, "I remember… I got your text, two emails and voice message"

"Sorry about that" said Willow sheepishly, "I do weird things when I get excited"

"I kinda guessed that" said Ichigo

"So you're coming right?" asked Willow

"Yes" said Ichigo, "I'll be there, it's at the Bronze right?"

"Yes" said Willow, "you've got the directions?"

"You already sent me three ways of getting there from campus" smiled Ichigo, "so there's no chance that I'll get lost"

"Alright" said Willow, "You know, Tara and I are going to the Magic Box now. You wanna come with us?"

"Nah" said Ichigo, "maybe I'll drop by later if that's alright?"

"Sure" smiled Willow, "see you then"

"Well, seeing as I'm up already" said Ichigo as he closed the door, "might as well do something productive"

It was a few hours later that Ichigo had opened his door to go out. As he closed his door, he noticed a man and a woman knocking on Tara's door.

"Hi" said Ichigo, "may I help you?"

"Yes" said the man, "we're looking for Tara MaClay"

"I guessed that since you are knocking on her door" said Ichigo

"So you know her?" said the man

"Yes" replied Ichigo

"Do you know where she is?" asked the woman, "its very important that we find her and talk to her"

"Who are you again?" asked Ichigo.

"I'm Tara's father and this is her cousin, Beth" said the man.

"Ah I see" said Ichigo, "I'm afraid she's not in"

"Please, you need to tell us where she is" said Tara's father, "we haven't seen her in a very long time and we miss her terribly"

"Ok" said Ichigo, "I think she may have gone to someplace called the Magic Box or something"

"Magic Box?" said Beth

"Yes" said Ichigo as he noticed the two of them glancing at each other.

'_Is that fear?'_ thought Ichigo to himself, _'or worry'_

"Ummm…. Thanks" said Tara's father and Beth as they turned and walked hurriedly away.

'_Now what was that all about?_' thought Ichigo to himself.

**U.C. Sunnydale Campus, that same night**

Ichigo was walking back to the dorms from studying at the library when he noticed Beth walking away from a distressed Tara.

'_What's going on_?' thought Ichigo to himself as he walked towards the blonde

"Hi Tara?" said Ichigo as he approached the Wiccan, "you alright?"

"Yes" said Tara as she sat down on a bench

"OK" said Ichigo, "then why are you crying?"

"I…. I'm not crying" said Tara as she looked down

"Tara" said Ichigo as he sat beside her, "what happened? I'm guessing your cousin must have said something to you"

"You….. you know her?" asked Tara as she turned and looked at Ichigo.

"I saw her and your father knocking on your door" said Ichigo, "they told me that it was urgent that they find you, so I told them that you may be at the Magic Box"

"Oh" said Tara

"I'm sorry" said Ichigo, "I really thought that they needed to urgently see you"

"Its alright" said Tara as she looked down and spoke quietly, "they want me to go back home with them"

"Why?" asked Ichigo

"I'm making a mistake talking to you" said Tara terrified, "I'm sorry, I need to go"

"Wait" said Ichigo as he stood up and held on to Tara's arm, "Tara, what's going on?"

"I… I'm scared that you'll kill me" said Tara, "Pl….. please I… I just want to go in peace"

"Wait, what?" said Ichigo, "Tara, what are you talking about? You're not making any sense."

"I'm a demon" said Tara

"Huh?" said Ichigo confused as he let go of Tara's arm and scratched his head, "what makes you think you're a demon?"

"The women in my family have demons inside them" said Tara as she turned around, "my magic is demonic"

"Hold on" said Ichigo as he ran and stopped in front of her, "who told you this?"

"My father… my brother" said Tara

"Tara" said Ichigo as he held on to her shoulders, "You're not a demon"

"I am" said Tara, "how else can I do magic?"

"Trust me on this" said Ichigo, "You are not a demon, you just have a high level of spiritual power"

"How do you know?" said Tara

"Because Rukia would have been able to sense it" said Ichigo, "her sensing abilities are far better than mine"

"No" said Tara

"Listen to me Tara" said Ichigo, "You're just as human as me or Willow"

"You're a Soul Reaper" said Tara

"Technically I'm a human" said Ichigo, "look you don't need to go with your father because you're not a demon"

"Are you sure?" said Tara

"Do you trust me?" said Ichigo

"Yes" smiled Tara

"That's good then" said Ichigo when Tara suddenly widened her eyes.

"What's wrong?" asked Ichigo

"Oh God" said Tara, "I cast a spell"

"What spell?" asked Ichigo

"A….. A spell that would prevent Willow and the others from seeing my demonic side" said Tara

"Oh" said Ichigo calmly as he let go of her shoulders, "how about we go to the Magic Box together and then you can remove the spell since you're not a demon? Anyway, I've wanted to see that place for sometime"

"Su… sure" said Tara, "that would be great"

**30 minutes later**

"Tara" said Ichigo as they were almost five minutes away from the Magic Box, "Would you be able to spend two whole days with me after your birthday party?"

"Maybe" said Tara, "why?"

"Well" said Ichigo, "It's about your birthday present"

"Oh?" said Tara smiling

"Yeah" said Ichigo, "It's got a forty eight hour time limit"

"What kind of a present has a forty eight hour time limit?" asked Tara confused.

"Hopefully the good kind" said Ichigo

"So" said Tara as she grinned at Ichigo, "It's just me and you and a mysterious birthday present?"

"Ummmm….." said Ichigo nervously, "kinda… but don't worry…. It's not a date or anything…. Willow's got nothing to be jealous about"

"Nice comeback" laughed Tara as she looked at Ichigo, "sure, I'll spend two whole days with you… as long as it's interesting… if its killing hollows or something then no…"

"Trust me, its not" said Ichigo, "but even if you don't like it, I hope you'll like the experience"

"OK" said Tara, "now I'm intrigued"

"Well" said Ichigo, "I'm afraid you'll have to wait"

"Ok" said Tara as they reached the Magic Box and she opened the door.

Ichigo and Tara walked into the shop only to see a demon walking behind Buffy as she stared at Tara and Ichigo.

"Buffy behind you" shouted Ichigo and Tara together.

"What?" said Buffy as she turned around and punched an invisible face before another demon threw her over the table in the middle of the shop.

"Tara" whispered Ichigo, "they can't see the demons, you need to get rid of the spell"

"Buffy" said Ichigo as he ran towards her, "duck"

Buffy went down onto the floor as Ichigo reached over her and grabbed the face of the demon before he flipped it over and smashed it face first into the floor boards. Dawn and Buffy looked at him shocked as the wooden floor board cracked and made an impression of the demons face.

"Buffy" said Ichigo, "there's one behind you… kick high"

"You can see them?" asked Buffy as she got up and launched a roundhouse kick which launched the invisible demon at the book case at the end of the store, breaking it.

"Hey" said Anya, "you're paying for that"

"Not now Ahn" said Xander as he ran to the shattered bookcase and tried to hit the invisible demon with a heavy object.

Ichigo then heard Tara cast a spell to counter the previous one before a few seconds later, the defeated demons came into view.

"Tara?" said Willow

"Ichigo?" said Buffy

"I'm sorry" said Tara as she looked down at the floor.

"It's not her fault" said Ichigo as he stood in front of her.

"It is" said Tara's father who had just come into the store, "Its all her fault, this happened because she's a demon"

"What?" said Willow surprised

"She's not a demon" said Ichigo as he stared at Tara's father

"This is not your problem young man" said Tara's father, "Tara has a demon inside her, and she's coming with us. We can take care of her"

"Buffy" said Ichigo, "she just told me she cast a spell so that you won't see her since she believed that she was a demon"

"That's why we haven't been able to see these particular demons" said Giles as he looked around, "your spell that was supposed to prevent us from seeing you, actually made us unable to see all demons"

"Almost killed us in the process" said Buffy

"You can say that again" said Spike who just came out from the training room at the back of the store, "and by the way, there's another one dead at the back"

"My point is" said Ichigo as he stood protectively in front of Tara, "if the spell was supposed to make demons invisible, were you able to see Tara when she came in through the door?"

"Yes" said Willow smiling as she stepped towards Tara while Ichigo moved towards Buffy.

"It was just a misunderstanding" said Ichigo as he looked at Buffy.

"Tara" said her father, "you're coming home with us, what that boy said wasn't true. Your mother was killed by the very demon inside her. We can help you"

"Tara" said Willow

"Oh for crying out loud" said Spike as he turned Tara to face him before he punched her face. This action led to the chip in Spike's brain activating and causing him a sharp pain.

"Hey" said Ichigo as he walked towards Spike and gave him a punch to his solar plexus that make him fly back a few feet as he landed hard on the floor.

Buffy and the others looked at Ichigo in shock at what just happened with Spike.

'_Oh crap'_ thought Ichigo to himself, '_I definitely need to come up with a good excuse'_

"How?" said Buffy as she stepped towards Ichigo.

"Its nothing really, I go to the gym a lot" said Ichigo, "and I've been in fights my entire life, so it wasn't much of a problem"

"Ok" said Xander, "I don't know about the rest of you but after what he did to Spike, Ichigo's my new best friend"

"Thank you Xander" said Ichigo as he looked at Buffy

"Tara" said her father.

"Mr. MaClay" said Buffy as she stared at Ichigo before turning to face Tara's father, "if you want Tara, you're going have to go through each and everyone here"

While Buffy and Dawn were threatening Mr. MaClay with bodily harm, Spike slowly got up and stared at Ichigo who turned his head to look at him.

While no one was looking, Spike had his eyes wide open as he pointed at Ichigo and said silently, "It's you"

"Spike" said Anya who was the only one who noticed what Spike was saying, calmly walked away from the counter, grabbed the vampire's arm and took him to the back training area, "I need to talk to you".

Ichigo smiled at Anya as he saw her take Spike to the back room while everyone else was distracted by Mr. Maclay.

"I hope you're happy living with a demon" said Beth

"Magic" said Mr. Maclay as he looked at a few spell books in disgust before he and his family walked out of the store.

"Are you alright?" Willow asked Tara as she nodded.

"Thank you" mouthed Tara silently at Ichigo as Willow gave her a hug.

"Ichigo" said Buffy as she turned Ichigo around to face her, "you have some explaining to do"


	12. An Explanation, a Birthday & a Present

**Magic Box**

"Alright Ichigo" said Buffy as she stared at him with her hands on her hips, "Talk"

"About?" asked Ichigo.

"How is it you were able to see those demons? And how you were able to take one down so easily? Not to mention how you were strong enough to punch Spike back a few feet" said Buffy.

"Oh" said Ichigo.

"Yea" said Buffy.

"Well" said Ichigo, "I might as well tell you the truth since the secret's out of the bag"

"Ichigo?" said Tara.

"Tara" said Buffy, "You knew?"

"Yes" said Ichigo, "but its not her fault, I asked her to promise not to tell any of you"

"So what's your secret?" asked Dawn who had walked to stand by Buffy.

'_That you're a Soul Reaper?'_ thought Dawn to herself smiling.

"The truth is… ever since I was young….. I've been taking Karate classes" said Ichigo, "not only that, I've been bullied by bigger boys almost my entire life before because of my hair colour and so, I've had to constantly keep on fighting and win."

"Ye…. Yes…. That's right" said Tara, "That's what he told me too."

"Really?" said Dawn.

"I am deceptively strong" said Ichigo as he looked at Buffy, "I've had to be. Heck I even beat one of my friends who happen to hold the title of the strongest girl in Japan; although, for some odd reason she stopped sparring with me after that."

"But that doesn't explain Spike" said Willow, "he's a vampire, so there's…"

"Willow" said Buffy as she looked between her best friend and Ichigo who she expected to see the expected shock that ordinary people would have plastered on his face.

"Hold up" said Ichigo as he pointed his thumb back at Spike, "he's a vampire?"

"Usually people go like 'ahhhh! vampire!' or 'vampires don't exist! Don't be ridiculous'" said Buffy as she looked at Giles.

"You know about vampires?" asked Giles

Well kinda" said Ichigo, "it's kind of obvious when someone reads the papers in Sunnydale and notices the high rate of deaths due to puncture wound in the neck"

'_It kind of also helps that I saw Buffy talking to Dracula'_ thought Ichigo to himself.

"You mean the 'barbecue fork' brigade?" asked Xander.

"Yea" said Ichigo, "like I said it's quite obvious when you think about it"

"Doesn't explain the demons though" said Buffy.

"I…. I… can ex….explain" said Tara nervously, "I ca…cast the spell when only all of you were here, Ichigo wa….wasn't affected"

"Ok, but it doesn't really explain the hole on the floor" said Buffy as she pointed to the smashed floor that Ichigo put the demon's face through.

"I've been constantly fighting and I been going to the gym to get stronger" said Ichigo, "I told you, it was out of necessity that I protect myself from bigger boys and gangs"

"You were constantly attacked?" asked Willow, "really?"

"Yep" said Ichigo as he turned and looked at Willow.

"Hey Ichigo" said Buffy as he turned to face her while she threw a punch at him at the same time.

"Whoa" said Ichigo as he quickly caught the punch in the palm of his hand and looked at Buffy, "OK, what was that for?"

"Ummmm…. Nothing…. Just a test" said Buffy surprised.

"O….K" said Ichigo, "I guess I better go, looks like you guys have some stuff to deal with"

"Yeah" said Buffy as she looked suspiciously at Ichigo.

"I'll come by tomorrow to help around the house" said Ichigo as he laughed nervously.

"That's great" said Dawn excitedly, "Mom's missed having you around."

"Yeah, sure" said Buffy as she looked at the hand she punched Ichigo with.

"See you tomorrow then Buffy, Dawn" said Ichigo as he walked out the door, "oh please don't tell Joyce about my history of fighting."

"Yes sure" said Buffy as Ichigo walked out of the store.

"Yeah" said Buffy as she looked at Giles, "has there ever been an instance of a male Slayer?"

"Huh?" asked Giles as he put his glasses back on and stared at Buffy, "a male Slayer?"

"Yea" said Buffy.

"Never" said Giles, "why did you ask?"

"Just now, I punched him using all my strength" said Buffy, "and he still caught it, and walked away as if nothing happened"

"H… he did say her was deceptively strong" said Tara.

"Maybe" said Buffy, "but as stronger as a Slayer?"

"What are you thinking?" asked Giles.

"Could he be a demon of some sort?" asked Buffy.

"No!" said Tara

"Huh?" said Buffy and Willow as they turned to look at the blonde girl.

"I mean, the spell I did was to hide demons" said Tara, "if he was a demon, then you wouldn't have been able to see him"

"She's right" said Xander as Spike and Anya walked back in, "and anyone who can knock back Spike is a good guy in my book."

"Oh shut up you wanker" said Spike.

"Spike" said Buffy, "you alright?"

"Yeah" said Spike as he rubbed his chest, "wanna rub the pain away?"

"Oh God!" said Xander as she walked away with Anya.

"Go home Spike" said Buffy in disgust as Spike walked towards her.

"Beware of that boy, Pet" said Spike as soon as Anya was out of earshot.

"Why?" asked Buffy surprised.

"Doesn't matter luv" said Spike, "just be careful around him"

It was then that Spike turned around and walked out the back of the Magic Box with Buffy looking at him confused, as the other's cleaned up the mess that was made.

**The Bronze, Tara's Birthday Party **

"Hi Ichigo" said Tara as Ichigo walked into the Bronze, which had one section currently draped with balloons, a gift area in the corner, an open bar and loud music playing over the speaker systems.

"Happy birthday Tara" said Ichigo as he gave the blonde Wiccan a hug.

"Hi Ichigo" said Willow smiling, "I see you made it."

"Yep" replied Ichigo with a smile, "thanks to your directions."

"Buffy and the gang are at the back near the pool tables" said Willow, "but you're more than welcome to mingle around."

"Sure" said Ichigo, "I think I'll just relax for a while first."

"Busy day?" asked Tara.

"Yep" replied Ichigo with a smile as he pointed to the back of the Bronze, "so near the pool tables?"

"Yep" said Willow.

"Alright then" said Ichigo as he went to the back of the club where he noticed an empty table. He grabbed a pop drink and then sat down and quietly observed the people around him. As he sat down, he saw Xander playing pool with Anya, Dawn and a couple of other people while Buffy was leaning against one of the many columns in the club. He kept on noticing that Buffy was glancing at him when he wasn't looking.

'_She's still suspicious about me'_ thought Ichigo to himself, _'I hope that vampire didn't tell her anything about me. I just need to keep up this secret thing until I know what exactly is going on with Glory.'_

Ichigo then saw from the corner of his eyes as Riley, Buffy's boyfriend, came up from behind her and surprised her with a kiss. He noticed them talking to each other before he left to get her a drink. He then turned his eyes to observe Dawn and Xander playing pool again just as Buffy started to glace at Ichigo.

'_Oh this is ridiculous'_ thought Ichigo to himself as he casually looked towards Buffy's direction and gave the petite Slayer a nod as she gave him a small wave.

Ichigo noticed that Buffy seemed to be ready to come his way when she suddenly stopped and stepped back again.

"Ichigo"

"Hey Rukia" said Ichigo as he turned around in surprise and looked at the lieutenant of the thirteenth division, "what are you doing here?"

"I needed to talk to you about something" said Rukia as she sat down next to him.

"How did you know here I was?" asked Ichigo.

"Your reiatsu, you idiot" said Rukia smiling, "you never could control it, plus I also sensed Tara's reiatsu here."

"Oh" said Ichigo.

"So what's going on here?" asked Rukia as she looked around at her surroundings.

"It's Tara's birthday party" said Ichigo.

"Oh" said Rukia as she looked down at her gigai which had on a simple T-Shirt and jeans, "if I'd known then I would have dressed more appropriately."

"You look fine" said Ichigo as he looked at one of his best friends, "so, what's going on that couldn't wait till tomorrow?"

"Captain Ukitake and Captain Kyoruku have been going through the Soul Society library about that Glory person" said Rukia, "they still haven't found anything of note. They're currently searching the ancient section of the library."

"Well if anyone can find information on Glory it would be Ukitake-san and Kyoraku-san" said Ichigo.

"But we did find some information about that Key from the monk" said Rukia.

"Oh?" asked Ichigo as he looked at Rukia.

"The monk explained that the Key can open doors into other dimensions" said Rukia, "it can open access to everywhere including all the Hell dimensions, Hueco Mundo and even Soul Society."

"And they made that into an innocent human girl?" hissed Ichigo angrily.

"The monk said he and his brothers had no choice" said Rukia, "he is absolutely certain that the Slayer could protect it."

"It's a 'her', Rukia" said Ichigo.

"Sorry" said Rukia, "so that the Slayer could protect her."

"Buffy's strong Rukia" said Ichigo, "she can do it."

"But with the Key being able to access Soul Society, I don't have to explain to you how that would be a huge threat to security" said Rukia, "You need to protect the Slayer, and the sister."

"I know" said Ichigo.

"Glory will come after the Slayer and her family, as well as her friends" said Rukia.

"Willow and Tara seem to have spiritual power as they are practicing witches, and are able to see me in my Shinigami form" said Ichigo.

"Then the Slayer will need them as well" said Rukia as she grabbed Ichigo's pop and took a sip.

"Hey" said Ichigo as he grabbed the drink back from Rukia, "get your own."

"You know" said Rukia, "you should be a gentleman and get a drink for a lady."

"Sorry.. sorry" said Ichigo as he went to the bar and got two more pop drink and handed one to Rukia.

"Ichigo, you came" said Xander as he came by the table with Anya, "and who is this lovely lady?"

"Xander Harris" said Ichigo, "this is my best friend Rukia Kuchiki, she just came by for a visit. She'll be leaving soon."

"That's rude Ichigo" said Anya as she shook Rukia's hand and her eyes went wide again.

"Ummm… ummmm.." said Anya as she looked at Ichigo.

"Anya" said Ichigo as he tried to convey with his eyes and words that she had nothing to worry about from Rukia, "this is Rukia, we work together. She's very cool."

"O… OK" said Anya as she stepped back.

"Hey Ahn" said Xander as he looked at his girlfriend, "you alright?"

"Ummm… yeah" said Anya, "I think I need to go to the ladies room

"That was weird" said Xander as he sat down next to Ichigo.

"So how long have you known each other" asked Xander.

"A few years now" said Rukia as she took a sip from her drink.

"Hey! You're Rukia aren't you?" asked Dawn as she sat next to Rukia.

"Yes" said Rukia, "and you are?"

"I'm Dawn"

Rukia then glanced at Ichigo before smiling at Dawn and shaking her hand.

"Nice to meet you" said Rukia.

"So" said Dawn, "are you guys together?"

"Dawn!" said Buffy as she quickly ran towards her sister once she noticed Dawn was heading to Ichigo's table.

"I'm so sorry Ichigo, Rukia" said Buffy.

"Oh you know my name too?" asked Rukia.

"Sorry, Ichigo showed us some pictures where you were also included" said Buffy, "but, where are my manners; I'm Buffy, Dawn's sister."

"Oh" said Rukia as she shook her hand,

"Come on" said Dawn pouting, "I need some gossip."

"Sorry about this Ichigo" said Buffy as she pulled her sister away, with Xander following close behind them.

"Anyway" said Rukia, "I should get going. I just came by to give you that information."

"Thanks Rukia" said Ichigo.

"I'll see you tomorrow at Soul Society, Ichigo" said Rukia.

"Huh?" said Ichigo surprised, "you'll be there?"

"The woman you had me looking for is in the sector patrolled by the Thirteenth Division" said Rukia, "so I'll be taking you guys to her."

"Oh" said Ichigo, "I guess we'll see you there then."

Rukia nodded as she turned around and walked towards the exit. Ichigo watched as she stopped to say goodbye to Tara before walking out the door.

"Ichigo?"

"Hey Buffy" said Ichigo as he turned to face the petite blonde who just sat beside him.

"I want you to be completely honest with me" said Buffy as she looked into his eyes, "who are you? Really?"

"I'm no-one Buffy" said Ichigo with a smile, "I'm just a university student, that's all."

**U.C. Sunnydale Dorm, the morning after Tara's birthday party**

"So Ichigo" said Kon, "you're really taking her to Soul Society huh?"

"Yea" said Ichigo, "she deserves it, especially after meeting her remaining family here."

"That bad?" asked Kon.

"Yeah" said Ichigo, "apparently all the men in her family have the women convinced that they are really demons"

"That's cruel" said Kon.

"Yeah" said Ichigo, "they did it just to control the women and make them do what the men want."

Just then there was a knock on his door.

"Hey Tara" said Ichigo as he let the blonde Wiccan into his room.

"Morning Ichigo" said Tara, "I'm ready, so what's the surprise that has a two day time limit?"

"It's a hell of a doozy alright" said Kon.

"Really?" asked Tara.

"Yep" said Ichigo.

"Well, good" said Tara, "Because I told Willow I'll be gone for a couple of days visiting a relative in Washington who has had an emergency heart surgery."

"Oh" said Ichigo, "don't worry, it's interesting. Nut we need to go to the outskirts of the city."

"The outskirts?" said Tara, "Why?"

"Because it's the place where the wall between the World of the Living and Soul Society is the thinnest" said Ichigo.

"Soul Society?" asked Tara as she nervously stood up, "bu…. But, I'm n….not dead."

"You don't have to be" said Ichigo as he stood up, "The first time my friends entered Soul Society to save Rukia all those years ago, we used a special device that transformed their living bodies into Spirit Particles. Its perfectly safe, although we'll have to run really, really fast."

"It…. It's safe?" asked Tara nervously.

"Yes" said Ichigo, "your surprise is in Soul Society."

"Are you saying….." asked Tara as she slowly came to a realization.

"If you don't feel comfortable in going, that's alright too" said Ichigo.

"Is she….. does she….." said Tara as tears slowly came to her eyes.

"No" said Ichigo, "she doesn't know."

"I'm ready" said Tara as she stepped forward.

"Alright" said Ichigo as he hit the back of Kon's plushie head and the circular soul pill came out. Ichigo then swallowed the pill.

Tara looked on in surprised as Ichigo's Shinigami body slipped out of his living one in a flash of blue light.

"Kon" said Ichigo as he faced the mod soul that inhabited his living body now, "remember you need to go to Joyce's house to help out. Just… don't do any funny business…. Please."

"Yeah.. yeah" said Kon as he turned to face Tara, "enjoy Soul Society."

"Th…. Thanks" said Tara as she looked at Ichigo, "do we drive there to the outskirts of town? I.. I mean I don't have a car."

Ichigo flash stepped just inches away from Tara's face, "we'll be using shunpo…. Or flash steps. Ready?"

"Yes?" said Tara as Kon opened the window.

"Let's go then" said Ichigo as he carried Tara on his arms and reached the outskirts of Sunnydale in three flash steps.

"Wow" said Tara as Ichigo put her back down on solid ground, "what a rush!"

"I know right?" said Ichigo smiling.

"So this is the gate?" asked Tara as she stared at the white door like object that seemed to be covered in paper and had a white pulsing light in the center.

"Yes" said Ichigo, "it's called a Spirit Exchanger, once you go through.. Your living body will be changed into Spirit Particles so that you can enter Soul Society."

"Ok" said Tara.

"Since I'm not a full Soul Reaper" said Ichigo, "we'll be going through the Dangai, a dimension between Soul Society and the Living World. And we'll have to move fast."

"You can carry me again if you want" said Tara with a smile.

"You just don't wanna run" said Ichigo with a smile.

"Yea, that too" said Tara smiling.

"Well it would be best, I don't want to spend more time in there than I absolutely have to" said Ichigo as he looked at Tara, "whatever happens, don't let go of me. Tighten your arms around my neck, strangle me if you have to but whatever you do, do not let go."

"Alright" said Tara as Ichigo carried her on his arms while she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Alright here we go" said Ichigo as he ran into the Spirit Exchanger and entered the Dangai when he started to flash step all the way to the bright opening on the other side.

Tara looked on as everything moved in a blur when suddenly, she found herself underneath a bright blue sky.

"Ichigo?" said Tara.

"Welcome to Soul Society, Tara" said Ichigo as Tara looked around her with her eyes wide open.

TBC


	13. The Witch and the Soul Society (Part 1)

**Soul Society, above first district, West Rukongai.**

"Welcome to Soul Society, Tara" said Ichigo.

"Wow" said Tara as Ichigo held her in his arms, and she held his neck tighter and tighter.

"Ta…Tara…" said Ichigo, "Can't….. breathe."

"Oh" said Tara as she turned her head to look at Ichigo, "Sorry, it's just…. Wow."

"That's the same reaction I had when I first came here" said Ichigo as he looked out at the buildings around him, "although I didn't have this nice of a view."

"It's beautiful" said Tara when she suddenly came to a realization, "wait a minute, how are you standing in the air?"

"Soul Society is full of Spirit Particles" explained Ichigo, "Soul Reapers can manipulate those particles to solidify under their feet, it becomes like an invisible platform."

"Oh" said Tara.

"Soul Reapers can do that in the World of the Living as well, since Spirit Particles exist there in nature" said Ichigo, "but it's much more concentrated here."

"Can I try?" asked Tara.

"Sure" said Ichigo, "Just close your eyes, then concentrate and gather the spirit particles to your feet. When you're ready, I'll put you down."

"You'll hold on?" asked Tara.

"Of course" said Ichigo, "Unless you ask me to let go."

"Not yet" said Tara as Ichigo slowly helped Tara put down her legs.

"Feel anything under your feet?" asked Ichigo.

"Yes" said Tara smiling, "this is so… wow!"

"Want me to let go?" asked Ichigo.

"Yes" said Tara.

"Alright" said Ichigo as he let go off her waist.

"Haha" said Tara laughing as she danced and jumped in the air, "if only Willow could see, this is….. wow."

"Well" said Ichigo, "the two of you did float in the air while dancing last night."

"I know, don't get me wrong, that was amazing" said Tara as she turned around and faced Ichigo, "but I wasn't jumping or dancing on an invisible platform of spirit particles."

"I'm surprised to be honest" replied Ichigo, "you must have quite a lot of spiritual power."

"I…. I don't think so" said Tara she suddenly stopped dancing and looked out at the Soul Society, "Willow's got more power than me."

"She does?" asked Ichigo.

"Yes" replied Tara.

"Oh" said Ichigo, "but you shouldn't put yourself down, the fact that you can control spirit particles and stand on them kinda supports you being just as powerful."

"Thanks" said Tara.

"Ichigo" said Rukia as she flash stepped next to the orange haired substitute.

"Yo, Rukia" said Ichigo as he pointed towards Tara, "not bad for a first timer huh?"

"Hi Tara" said Rukia as she walked towards the blonde girl, "I'm impressed, that idiot had much more difficulty doing what you're doing."

"I heard that!" said Ichigo.

"Thank you Rukia" said Tara smiling.

"Yo, Ichigo" said another voice that appeared just behind him.

"Renji" said Ichigo as he nodded at the red haired Soul Reaper, "how's it going?"

"Not bad" said Renji, "Rukia said she was meeting you here with a friend, so I thought I'd drop by."

"Ah" said Ichigo as they walked towards Rukia and Tara, "Tara I'd like you to meet Renji Abarai."

"He… hello" said Tara nervously.

"Nice to meet you Tara" said Renji as he gave Tara a small bow before turning to Ichigo and nudging him in the ribs, "so you brought another date to Soul Society huh?"

"Date?" said both Ichigo and Tara together.

Just then, Tara lost her concentration and suddenly found herself falling fast towards Soul Society.

"Hold on Tara" said Ichigo as he flash stepped towards her and caught her just before she hit the ground.

"Sorry about that" said Ichigo as he put her down, "Renji's the joker among my group of friends."

"Ummm… Tara?" said Renji as he landed next to Tara while now nursing a fist shaped bruise on his face, "sorry about that, I was just kidding around."

"Yea" said Rukia as she landed next to Renji as she stuck her tongue out at him, "sometimes he talks without thinking."

"It's alright" said Tara as she tried not to laugh at the nervousness of the two men, "Renji, what happened to your face?"

"Oh" said Renji as he glanced at the evil look from Rukia, "umm…. I fell?"

"In the air?" said Tara with a smile.

"It happens from time to time" replied Renji as he nervously scratched his head.

'_Dude'_ thought Ichigo to himself, _'you're so whipped.'_

"Tara" said Rukia, "Are you ready?"

"Yes" said Tara after she took a deep breath.

"Alright" said Rukia as she turned around, "please come this way, her home is close to the Seireitei."

"Seireitei?" whispered Tara to Ichigo as the both of them walked behind Rukia and Renji.

"It's the place where the Soul Reapers work and live" said Ichigo, "you know that white tower you saw from the sky? It was next to that hill?"

"Yes" said Tara.

"That's the center of seireitei" said Ichigo, "from there until the circular wall you saw."

"Oh" said Tara, "and where are we now?"

"We're in the first district of West Rukongai" said Rukia, "most souls end up in Rukongai, a vast majority of the souls who come to Soul Society end up here."

"Ah" said Tara as she looked at Ichigo, "so… you bring dates here, huh?"

"Ummm…. Huh.. what?" said Ichigo nervously.

"Dates?" said Tara with a smile.

"No, no, no" said Ichigo nervously, "he's just kidding around, the only girl who came with me to Soul Society was a friend of mine who helped me save Rukia."

"Are you sure?" said Tara smiling.

"Well" said Ichigo, "after the war I did start dating her and we were really close, but then I came to Sunnydale and….. well….."

"The whole long distance thing" said Tara as she nodded her head in understanding.

"Yea" replied Ichigo, "Don't get me wrong, I still care deeply for her, but we both agreed that we should go on a break."

"You still talk to her?" asked Tara.

"Yes" replied Ichigo.

"Well" said Tara smiling, "I've got to say that this would make one heck of a date."

Ichigo laughed nervously as Tara grinned at him, when suddenly they stopped moving.

"Rukia? Renji?" asked Ichigo.

"We're here" said Rukia as they stopped in front of a medium sized two story building with a sign at the top of the entrance that said 'The Maclay School of Art'.

"Your mother was a teacher?" asked Ichigo.

"Yes" said Tara as tears started to fill her eyes, "even between her chemo sessions, she'd find time to teach her students. She would even do it from home."

"Ah" said Ichigo.

"Your mother was a very powerful magic user, am I right?" asked Rukia.

"Yes" said Tara.

"I see" replied Rukia.

"Magic?" asked Renji.

"Kido"

"Oh" said Renji.

"You feel it don't you?" said Ichigo, "a suppressed reiatsu?"

"Yes" said Rukia.

"You ready?" asked Ichigo as he faced Tara.

"I….. I…. I don't know" said Tara as she grabbed a hold of Ichigo's hand, "what if she forgot about me? What if she doesn't love me anymore? What if….."

"Hey" said Ichigo as he gently held on to Tara's shoulders, "there are too many 'what ifs', the only way to get your answer would be to meet her again, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you."

"Ichigo" said Rukia, "how about you and I go in first to make sure that she's in, then we bring Tara inside."

"What do you say Tara?" asked Ichigo.

"A…. alright" said Tara nervously.

"Renji" said Rukia, "can you stay and watch over Tara? We'll call you when its time."

"Of course" said Renji as he stood next to Tara, as Rukia and Ichigo went into the building.

**The Maclay School of Art**

"Nice" said Ichigo as he and Rukia stepped in and noticed various artworks that adorned the walls.

"These are actually quite nice" said Rukia as she examined the artwork.

"Excuse me?" said a man's voice from behind them.

"Hello" said Rukia as she and Ichigo turned around, only to face a well built man who was about Ichigo's height, "My name is Rukia, and we're looking for a Helen Maclay."

"My name is Dan" said the man as he came down a flight of stairs, "What is your business with her?"

"It's of a personal nature" said Rukia, "it is pretty urgent that we speak to her."

"I'm afraid that she is teaching a class at the moment and cannot be disturbed" said Dan.

"Please let her know it's about her daughter" said Ichigo.

"Her daughter?" said Dan, "I'm afraid you're mistaken, Helen does not have a daughter."

"She does actually" said Ichigo, "you see, yesterday was her birthday…"

"Young man" said Dan as he walked towards the two Soul Reapers, "I'm telling you that Helen does not have a daughter."

"And I'm telling you that she does" said Ichigo as he squared up to the man.

"What's going on here?" said a blonde woman wearing a green shirt and a pair of jeans, as she closed one of the doors and walked towards Dan.

"Dan" said the woman, "I was teaching a class, what's going on?"

"Nothing" said Dan as he put one arm around the woman's waist, "these Soul Reapers were just leaving."

"Miss" said Rukia as she gave a death stare at Dan, "we just came by looking for a Helen Maclay."

"Oh?" said the woman as she looked at Dan, "I'm Helen Maclay, how can I help the Soul Reapers."

"Actually" said Rukia, "we're here about your daughter."

"Tara?" said Helen as she gasped and placed a hand to her chest, "is she alright? Has she been hurt? Don't tell me her father….."

"No" said Ichigo, "nothing like that, you see it was her birthday yesterday."

"I know" said Helen as she looked down sadly at the floor, "I… I… wish I could have held her in my arms again, just to wish her a happy birthday."

Helen then looked back up at Rukia and Ichigo, "but if you're here, then that means she's dead…. Oh no… she's dead isn't she… where is she? Which part of Rukongai?"

"Helen" said Dan, "she's gone. You should forget about her and move on."

"How can I move on when I know my daughter is somewhere out there alone?" said Helen as she approached the two Soul Reapers, "both of you must know where she is, please find her for me. I'm begging you, find her. In return, I'll say yes to Captain Ukitake's offer."

"You know Captain Ukitake?" asked Rukia surprised.

"Wait" said Helen as she noticed Rukia's badge, "You're the thirteenth division lieutenant? Please tell Captain Ukitake that I'll agree as long as my baby comes back to me."

"Umm" said Ichigo as he looked at an equally surprised Rukia, "well this is going to be very awkward."

"Please" said Helen as she got down on her knees, with tears in her eyes.

"Helen!" said Dan as he approached the woman, "Stop begging! You don't have a daughter!"

"Hey" said Rukia as she brought her hand to her sword and flash stepped right in front of Dan, "stand back."

"Damn Soul Reapers" said Dan angrily as he walked back up the stairs and slammed a door shut.

"Helen" said Ichigo as he approached Tara's mother and helped her to stand back up, "My name is Ichigo and Tara's not dead. I actually know her pretty well. She's a good friend of mine."

"You know my Tara?" asked Helen as tears flowed freely, "she's not dead?"

"Yes" smiled Ichigo, "She's very much alive and waiting to see you."

"She's here?" asked Helen as she wiped her tears, "Bu… but….. You said she's not dead."

"Ichigo got permission to give Tara one hell of a birthday present" said Rukia as she walked out to the entrance and peeked her head out of the door, "Hey Renji!"

"But how?" said Helen as her trembling hands held on to Ichigo.

"Spirit Exchangers" said Rukia just as Renji came in through the entrance followed by another blonde haired female who just stood at the entrance in shock and surprise.

"Mom…. momma?" said Tara as she stared at her mother from the entrance of the building.

"Tara?" said Helen as she looked at her daughter, both still in shock.

Ichigo, Rukia and Renji looked on as Tara slowly started to walk on trembling feet towards Helen until they were so close that Helen could caress both of Tara's cheeks. They looked on as Helen rubbed her hands all aver Tara's face, followed by Tara's hands and then she ran her hand through Tara's hair as tears freely flowed out of the eyes of both women.

"It's really you, you're my Tara" said Helen as she gave her daughter a tight hug.

"Momma" said Tara as she returned the hug and held onto her mother even tighter as if she would never let her go again.

"One hell of a birthday present indeed" said Rukia with tears in her eyes as she looked at Ichigo.

"Yea" said Renji as he wiped a tear, which was when he noticed Rukia and Ichigo looking at him, "there was something in my eyes ok."

"Sure" said Ichigo as he looked at the sight before him as he thought about his own mother, and how he'd never be able to see her again. Even in Soul Society.

Ichigo looked at the bodies of both women as they trembled, and then he turned around.

"Let's give them some privacy" said Ichigo as he and the others prepared to leave.

"Wa….. wait" said Helen.

Ichigo and the others stopped and turn back around.

"Wont you stay?" asked Helen as she held on tightly to her daughter, "please, if it wasn't for you all, I wouldn't be seeing my daughter again."

"Thank you for the offer" said Ichigo, "but the both of you should spend as much time together as possible."

"I know this is only for a little while" said Helen as she looked at Ichigo and the others, "but…".

"Mom" said Tara as she interrupted Helen, "Ichigo and Rukia gave us two days."

"Really?" asked Helen ecstatically.

"Yes" said Rukia, "Tara's been given permission to visit you for two days every year. I'm sorry it couldn't be more."

"No" said Helen as she hugged her daughter again, "Even half a day would be a gift. Two days…. I don't know what to say."

"No words are necessary" said Rukia.

"Ichigo" said Tara as she wiped the tears from her mother's face, "please stay, if I hadn't met you, then I wouldn't have seen my mom again."

"Tara.." said Ichigo just as Helen let go of Tara and walked towards him.

"Please" said Helen as she held on to Ichigo's arm, "I insist you stay, I have a spare room which you can take. You've helped give me two days with my daughter, it's the absolute least I could do."

"Ichigo" said Tara, "please."

"You should stay Ichigo" said Rukia as she looked at the orange haired substitute.

"We'll come by tomorrow morning and do breakfast" said Renji.

"Alright then" said Ichigo as he looked at a smiling Tara, "I'll stay."

"Miss Lieutenant" said Helen as she stepped towards Rukia, "I meant what I said before, please let Captain Ukitake know that I'll accept his offer."

"Just call me Rukia" she said smiling.

"Very well… Rukia" said Helen, "and thank you again."

"See you later then" said Rukia and Renji.

"See ya" said Ichigo as the two Soul Reapers left.

"My baby" said Helen as she ran her fingers over Tara's face again, "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too" said Tara.

"Come" said Helen as she led Tara and Ichigo to another room that had a table in the middle, "sit, I'll let my class go off early and then we'll talk. I want to know everything."

"You don't have to" said Tara, "I remember how much you loved teaching."

"For my daughter, I'd give that up." said Helen as she closed the door and ran over to the classroom.

"Thank you Ichigo" said Tara quietly, "This is the best present anyone could have given me."

"I just think that everyone should spend time with their mother's for their birthday" said Ichigo.

"Thank you" said Tara again as she gave Ichigo a peck on the cheek.

Just at that moment, the doors opened again and in walked Dan.

"So you're Helen's daughter huh?" said Dan.

"Ye…. Yes" said Tara.

"Why did you come here for?" asked Dan to the shock of Tara and Ichigo.

"Excuse me?" said Ichigo.

"Sh… She's my mother" said Tara. "I.. I have a right to see her."

"I don't care if she is your mother" said Dan, "Did you know I am trying to have my own child with her? But all she could do was prattle on about how she missed you….. how worried she was about you… It seemed to put her off from having anymore children. But I just convinced her that we should have our own child, someone that the both of us could love… and because of you that's now ruined."

"Take it easy" said Ichigo as he glared at the man.

"Don't interfere, Shinigami" said Dan as he pointed a finger at Ichigo, "from what I heard it's your fault that she's here; how dare she come to Soul Society when she's not even dead. She's just like those stupid Ryoka who came to Soul Society all those years ago."

"Did you just call my daughter stupid?" asked Helen who just stepped into the room from behind Dan.

"You know what?" said Dan as he turned to face Helen, "Yes… yes, I did. It was stupid of her to come here when she's not dead, it was stupid of her to interfere us when we're supposed to have our own child, it was stupid…..."

"Stop" said Helen calmly but sternly, "stop right there, first of all, you never call my daughter stupid. Second, I never told you I wanted to have a child with you. All I said was that I missed being a mother and that teaching those children filled that gaping hole in my heart after I was taken away from my Tara. That never meant that I wanted to have a child with you."

Helen then walked around Dan, and over to a surprised Tara, "Now that I know my daughter is alive, she's here.. she's doing well… the gap in my heart doesn't need to be filled anymore; its been repaired, just the sight of her makes me know that everything will be alright."

"Helen" said an angry Dan, "I looked after you ever since you came to Rukongai, you owe me."

Ichigo was prepared to get up when Helen gave him an almost imperceptible shake of the head.

"I don't owe you anything Dan" said Helen as she held Tara close to her, "I want you to leave."

"What will you do when she leaves, huh?" asked Dan, "You'll beg me to come back."

"I'll live my life; I'll be able to live knowing that she's alright" said Helen as she looked at Tara who nodded, "I'll know that she's happy, that she's found love, that she'll be with wonderful friends who care for her."

"I'll live my life" repeated Helen as she hugged her daughter again, "I'll eventually teach the children at the academy, I'll continue to teach the children here. Then when my daughter comes back to me permanently… which I hope will be years away from now, I'll enjoy my time with her. She is my reason for being, not you. Now leave."

"Mom" said Tara as she kissed her mother's forehead.

"Screw this" said Dan as he stepped forward when suddenly Helen held out her hand while she was hugging Tara, and started to draw symbols in the air while at the same time she muttered an incantation.

"Disintegrate you black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself with horror and claw out your own throat!" said Helen as she finished drawing the symbols, "Bakudo number nine, Geki."

Tara looked on surprised as she could see a red coloured aura flowing out of her mother as it engulfed Dan, making him completely paralysed.

"Hey Ichigo I forgot to mention that your departure….." said Rukia as she came into the school again and saw that Dan was completely paralysed, "ok… what's going on. Who did Geki on this guy?"

"That would be Helen" said Ichigo as he stood up, "he tried to attack her and Tara."

"How did you even do Geki?" said Rukia, "you're not even a Shinigami."

"True" said Helen, "but maybe you could take care of him first?"

"Please release him" said Rukia as she nodded her head, and the red aura suddenly disappeared and Dan could move again.

"You" said Dan as he stared at Helen and he walked towards her just as he was picked up and brought to the entrance by a very pissed Rukia, "You will leave" she said she caught the punch that Dan threw her way, "You will leave and never come back."

"O..Ok" said Dan as Rukia threw him out the door and he landed in a heap on the ground.

"Leave now" said Rukia, "I and the other members of the Gotei 13 will be periodically keeping an eye on this place. If any of them ever see you around here again, you'll have a big problem. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yeah… yeah" said Dan as he got up, "tell that bitch that she can have her daughter for now, but when she comes on her hands and knees begging me to take her back after her daughter leaves. I'll kick her to the side and just laugh."

Rukia looked on as he walked away before she went back in wanting to know how someone who was not a Shinigami was able to do a kido spell.

"Thank you" said Helen as Rukia came in.

"Please explain" said Rukia as she folded her hands over her chest, "You're not a Shinigami, so how are you able to do Kido."

"Please sit" said Helen.

Once Rukia sat down, Helen started to tell the story of how she was a powerful witch in the living world and that after she died; she arrived in Soul Society near a field where some Soul Reapers were training their Kido spells.

Helen said that she saw how they did the spells, and that it only took her one time to see how it was done before she was able to do it herself. She said that she would practise the Kido spells at night when no one was looking. Then one night, she noticed that there was someone in a white coat with long white hair watching her practise.

"Captain Ukitake" said Rukia.

"Yes" said Helen as Tara lay down on her mother's lap while Helen ran her hands through her hair.

"He was surprised that someone who was not a Soul Reaper could perform Kido spells" said Helen, "but he taught me some Bakudo and Hado spells just the same. After he performed the spells, he stepped back to see if I could really do it after having seen his spells just once."

"And you did?" asked Tara as she looked up at her mother.

"Yes" said Helen as she looked at Tara, "he then offered me an immediate place in the Academy; he said that I was a natural in kido and that eventually I could become a Soul Reaper."

"Wow" said Ichigo.

"But I didn't want to fight" said Helen, "although people said I was a powerful witch when I was alive, my second love was always teaching art."

"What was your first?" asked Tara.

"Of course, you" smiled Helen at her daughter, "silly girl."

"Captain Ukitake said that I didn't have to fight, although I still had to learn the techniques" continued Helen, "I could just teach Kido at the academy since I seemed to be such a natural at it."

"But?" said Rukia.

"I decided on teaching art to the kids here" said Helen, "but I thanked Captain Ukitake for the offer, although he does keep on sending someone every month to try and convince me. All I do is say no and they walk away. He also did teach me how to suppress my reiatsu so that it won't affect the people around me."

"But" continued Helen, "maybe having my daughter back to me, even if it's just for two days a year is a sign."

"So you'll join the Academy?" asked Tara as she got up and sat next to her mother.

"I did make a promise to Rukia" smiled Helen.

"I'm sure Captain Ukitake will be pleased" smiled Rukia.

"Are you guys hungry?' said Helen

"Kind of" said Tara.

"Lunch?" said Helen as she looked at her daughter and the two Soul Reapers in front of her.

"Sure" said Tara.

"There's a really good seafood restaurant close by" said Helen as she looked at Tara, "you up for it?"

"Yes" smiled Tara as she and her mother got up.

"Shall we?" said Helen as she looked the two Soul Reapers.

"Ladies first" said Ichigo.

"Thank you kind sir" said Helen, Rukia and Tara together as the four of them walked out of the school and down the busy street.

TBC


	14. The Witch and the Soul Society (Part 2)

**Soul Society, First district, West Rukongai**

"Mom?" asked Tara as she looked nervously at her mother, "ho… how long have you been teaching here?"

"About a year" said Helen as she walked with Tara holding each other's hands, not wanting to let go, "I met Dan the first day I got here, told him about my interest in art. He was the one who suggested that I start up an art school."

"I'm sorry I caused you trouble with him" said Tara as she looked down at the ground.

"Don't you ever feel sorry for that" said Helen as she stopped and faced her daughter, "never feel sorry for that. No one calls my daughter stupid."

Tara smiled and nodded at her mother before the both of them started walking behind Rukia and Ichigo.

"Umm….." said Rukia, "I guess that seafood place is closed"

"Looks like it" said Helen as the four people stopped outside a restaurant that had its shutters down with a sign that said it was closed for renovations.

"Too bad" said Rukia, "this was a really good place."

"Anywhere else?" asked Ichigo, "you'd know better than me."

"You don't live in Soul Society, Ichigo?" asked Helen.

"No" said Ichigo, "I live in Karukura Town in Japan, although now my residence is in Sunnydale."

"Oh" said Helen.

"Ichigo's a substitute Shinigami" said Rukia, "I'm sure you heard about the Ryoka who broke into Soul Society all those years ago?"

"Oh" said Helen as she looked at Ichigo, "I heard the stories from Dan after I came here, as you saw, he wasn't a real fan of Shinigami in general; anyway that was you?"

"Yep" said Ichigo as he laughed nervously, "plus my friends; we came here to save Rukia here."

"One of my friends also said that he's the hero of the Winter War" said Tara as she looked at Ichigo with a smile.

"Oh.. wait…" said Helen as she stared at Ichigo, "you're the Kurosaki boy I've been hearing about? The one who beat Captain Aizen?"

"Just Aizen" said Rukia, "he gave up his claim to be a Captain once he betrayed Soul Society."

"Sorry" said Helen before she turned to Tara and nudged her daughter playfully using her elbow, "well you made a real fine catch, dating a war hero. I always hoped you'd find a good person."

Both Ichigo and Tara looked at each other with red faces before looking at Helen, "Actually, we're not dating" said the both of them at the same time as Rukia tried not to laugh at the sight of a red faced Ichigo.

"Huh?" said Helen.

"I think this conversation is best done after some lunch" said Ichigo as he turned to Rukia, "any ideas?"

"Well" said Rukia, "there is a good place in the Seireitei, my brother knows the owner; you've been there before."

"You don't have to" said Tara, "I mean, it sounds like we'll be causing you trouble."

"Nonsense" said Rukia as she held on to Helen's hand before turning to Ichigo, "we're going to that place near the East Gate. The one Renji took us to after you had the talk with the Captain Commander about Ginjou."

"Alright" said Ichigo as Rukia flash stepped away with Helen.

"Sorry" said Tara as she looked at Ichigo.

"For what?" replied Ichigo looking confused.

"About me saying that we're not dating" said Tara nervously, "I didn't mean to say it like it was a bad thing, I mean….. You know… us dating."

"If I recall correctly" said Ichigo with a smile, "I think I also said that we're not dating. You're with Willow, I'm not getting between you guys."

"I'm sorry anyway" said Tara.

"Nothing to be sorry about" said Ichigo as Tara put one arm around his shoulders and he put an arm around her waist.

"Ready?" asked Ichigo.

"Yes" said Tara just as the entire area blurred just for an instant before she found herself standing next to Rukia and Helen.

"So…." Said Helen as she smirked at her daughter, "really not dating him huh?"

"Mom" said Tara as she left go of Ichigo and held her mother's hand, "I'll tell you all about the one I am actually dating, I think you would have liked her."

"It's a her?" said Helen looking at Tara surprised, as Rukia led the two other women into the restaurant with Ichigo walking behind them smiling.

**East Gate BBQ, Seireitei, Soul Society.**

"So" said Helen after the group of four had made their orders, "tell me about this girl you're dating. Does she make you happy? DO you like her? Does she treat you well?"

"Yes… Yes… and Yes" said Tara as she smiled at Helen, "I love her very much and she feels the same way about me as well."

"In that case" said Helen with a grin, "I'm glad. I really was hoping you'd find someone you'd fall in love with and someone who'd love you in return. That was my biggest worry since I came to Soul Society."

"I hope I've put you at ease now?" asked Tara.

"You have" said Helen as she kissed Tara's cheek, "you have no idea how much at ease I am now, just seeing you here, knowing that your father…... wait, it's your twentieth birthday."

"Yes I know" said Tara, "he did come to Sunnydale with Beth and Donny to take me back home."

"That troublesome man" said Helen, "I'm sorry you had to put up with him and the others without me."

"You're father was a bad man?" asked Rukia.

"My father made me believe that all the women in my family were demons" said Tara, "that our magic was demonic magic."

"I see" said Rukia, "I can tell you that you're not a demon, I would have been able to sense it the first time we met."

"That's what Ichigo told me" said Tara as she looked at her mother, "he convinced me that I wasn't a demon, that I didn't have to do back home with dad."

"I'm glad" said Helen as she glanced at Ichigo, "I'm glad you stayed, tell me about your friends."

"They're the greatest group of people you could ever meet" said Tara proudly, "even saved the world a few times."

Tara then went to talk about the Scooby Gang and the adventures she had with them; how she had met Willow, Buffy and the others and how she met Ichigo and Rukia.

"Thank you for saving her Ichigo" said Helen, "when I heard what Hollows were capable of, I was really worried for her."

"I was just doing my job Helen" said Ichigo with a smile.

"Thank you again" said Helen, "I know what happens once a Hollow eats a soul."

"What do you mean?" asked Tara, "they come to Soul Society right? I mean Ichigo told me about his….."

Tara looked at Ichigo before she could finish what she wanted to say about his mother, and saw the hurt in his eyes. She then came to the realization that Ichigo hadn't told her everything, not really.

"So this Willow girl is your girlfriend?" asked Rukia to break the sudden tension, just as their order came in.

"Yes" said Tara as she glanced nervously at Ichigo, "she's just as powerful as mom."

"I see" said Helen as she looked at Tara before looking down at the table.

Sensing something was wrong, Rukia looked up at Helen, "something the matter?"

"How powerful?" asked Helen, her faced etched with worry. It didn't go unnoticed by Ichigo or Rukia.

"Very" said Tara, "she could surpass…"

Tara stopped talking again once she saw the looks that Ichigo and Rukia were giving her mother.

"Mom?" said Tara as she saw the worried look on Helen's face.

"You need to help her" said Helen quietly, "you need to help her keep control."

"Mom?" said Tara.

"You know how addictive magic can be?" said Helen as she looked at her daughter.

"Yes" said Tara, "you taught me that."

"I taught you to always keep in control of your magic, just as your grandmother taught me" said Helen, "if Willow has no one to teach her, then she could get addicted to magic. And it won't be good, I've seen it happen before."

"I'll help her mom" said Tara, "I promise."

"Hey" said Rukia as she looked past Helen and Tara, "there's Captain Ukitake."

"Yo, Kuchiki" said Captain Ukitake once he noticed Rukia and walked up to the small group.

"Captain Ukitake" said Rukia as she got up nad bowed.

"Hi Ukitake-san" said Ichigo.

"Good to see you again Ichigo-kun" said the white haired Captain, "I hope everything has bee n going well?"

"Yes" said Ichigo, "thanks."

"Where are Kiyone and Sentaro?" asked Rukia as she searched for the joint third seats of the Thirteenth division.

"They're outside" said the Captain, "I was feeling better so I insisted on getting some food myself, they don't know that I know they've been following me covertly."

"Ah" said Rukia, "I won't tell them."

"Oh" continued Rukia, "forgive my rudeness Captain, but this is Helen and Tara Maclay."

"Yes" said Captain Ukitake with a smile, "I've met Helen before but not Tara."

"This is my daughter" said Helen as she introduced Tara to Captain Ukitake.

"Nice to meet you" said the Captain as he gave Tara a small bow, "so you're the individual that Ichigo-kun asked permission for to visit Soul Society?"

"Yes" said Tara.

"Please allow me to wish you a very happy birthday" said Captain Ukitake.

"Thank you" replied Tara.

"Captain Ukitake" said Helen as she stood up and walked towards him, "I'd like to take you up on that offer of joining the Academy, I mean if it's still available."

"I told you that offer was always open" said Captain Ukitake with a smile, "we can get you in immediately."

"Thank you" said Helen, "but I have two days to spend with my daughter before she gets back to the land of the living, I would like to spend as much as possible with her before she heads back."

"Of course" said Captain Ukitake as he looked at Tara with a smile, "your mother is a very special woman, I believe that she would become one of the best Kido specialists in Soul Society."

"My mother has always been special" said Tara as she looked at her mother with a warm smile.

"Captain Ukitake" said one of the servers as she handed him a small bag, "your lunch is ready."

"Thank you" said Captain Ukitake, "and please ensure that the orders for this table be put onto my account."

"Captain" said Helen, "you don't have to do that."

"I insist" said a smiling Captain Ukitake as he looked at Helen, "please enjoy your time with your daughter."

"Thank you" said Helen as she smiled at the Captain.

"Please take care" said the Captain, "I'll have Sentaro and Kiyone get whatever you need from your home to the Dorms at the Academy."

"Thank you Captain" said Helen as she gave a slight bow.

"My pleasure" said Captain Ukitake as he smiled and walked away.

"He's a nice man" said Tara.

"Once of the best" replied Rukia.

"Rukia" said Helen, "Captain Ukitake called you Kuchiki, did he mean the Kuchiki noble family?"

"Yes" said Rukia nervously.

"Oh" said Helen.

"So you're a member of a noble family?" asked Tara surprised.

"Yes" said Rukia as she told the two women the story of how she was brought up in Rukongai before she attended the Academy and her adoption by the Kuchiki family.

"Wow" said Tara after she heard Rukia's story.

"Yea" said Rukia, "that's pretty much it. Then I met Ichigo and the rest, as they say, is history."

"Interesting story" said Helen as she looked at the two Shinigami in front of her.

The four souls spend the rest of the time during their lunch just talking amongst themselves before they finally left the restaurant.

"Ichigo" said Rukia as they left the restaurant, "I need to go and get some paperwork done. Maybe I'll come by later."

"Job of a lieutenant is never done huh?" said Ichigo with a smile.

"Nope" replied Rukia as she looked behind him, "Tara, Helen.. I'll be seeing you later."

"Bye Rukia" said Helen.

"Thanks for taking care of that Dan guy" said Tara.

"It was a pleasure" said Rukia as she flash stepped away.

"So" said Ichigo as he faced the two women, "are you ladies ready to leave?"

"Yes" said Helen and Tara as the both of them put their arms around his shoulders.

"You do realize that I'm not a taxi service right?" joked Ichigo.

"We've had too much food and can't walk back" said Tara as she pouted while Helen grinned.

"No pouting" said Ichigo, "I beg of you, no pouting."

"Please" said Tara as she continued her pouting.

"I'm going to have to charge you for this" said Ichigo as he reached Helen's school in four flash steps over the roofs of the buildings of the Seireitei.

"See" said Helen as she grabbed her daughter's hand and looks back at Ichigo, "I knew you could do it."

"I never said I couldn't" said Ichigo with a smile.

"Come on in" said Helen, "I'll get your room ready, and then I have plenty of gossiping and chit chatting to do with my daughter."

"You go ahead mom" said Tara as the three of them walked into the building and closed the door, "I just want to talk to Ichigo for a bit."

"Sure" said Helen as she took the stairway up to the second floor to get Ichigo's room ready.

"I don't know how many times I can tell you this" said Tara as she held Ichigo's hands, "but thank you for taking me to Soul Society to meet my mother again. It's something that no-one will be able to top."

"Don't say that" said Ichigo grinning, "I'm sure Willow will be able to top it somehow."

"I don't think she can" said Tara.

"I'm sorry" said Ichigo as he looked at Tara, "I really never thought about that."

"No" said Tara, "Please don't be sorry, it's just that I don't think I can share this experience with her."

"Just give me some time" said Ichigo, "I'll tell them soon."

"You don't have to do it for me" said Tara.

"Its not that" said Ichigo, "the day you met Rukia, do you remember the pressure you felt before we had to suddenly leave?"

"Yes" said Tara, "What happened that day? Willow only managed to say something about some woman who beat Buffy."

"It was a woman" said Ichigo, "very powerful; Rukia and I were unprepared and she almost beat us. It won't happen again the next time. Rukia and the others are researching on what she is, the library here is very extensive and has many ancient texts. Hopefully they'll find something soon."

"I hope so" said Tara.

"Once I know what she is" said Ichigo, "then I'll tell the others, especially Buffy. I know she's real suspicious of me."

"She is" said Tara, "but she was impressed with how you handled that demon the other night, and how you caught her punch in the palm of your hand."

"Yeah" said Ichigo, "just so you know; that punch actually hurt."

"Thank you again Ichigo" said Tara as she kissed Ichigo's cheek just as Helen came downstairs.

"I have another question to ask you" whispered Tara, "It's about…"

"So" said Helen grinning as she interrupted Tara's question, "What did I miss?"

**The Summers' Residence, 7:00pm**

"Hey mom" said Dawn as she sat beside Kon, who was in Ichigo's body, "Is dinner ready?"

"Another fifteen minutes!" shouted Joyce from the kitchen.

"So Ichigo" said Dawn to the nervous looking boy who was sitting right next to her.

'_Please'_ thought Kon to himself, _'No more dumb questions, I'm begging you.'_

"Have you ever tried a tortilla with peanut butter and banana's?" asked Dawn as she leaned her head onto Ichigo's shoulder, "I really want to try it, it sounds delicious. Don't you think so?"

"Yea" said Kon, "sure it does."

"_Oh God why!"_ thought Kon to himself, _"Why can't Buffy be here? I don't mind if she's the one laying her head on my shoulders."_

Just then the door forcefully opened and Buffy ran up the stairs to her room after she slammed the door shut again.

"What was that?" said Joyce as she ran to the living room.

"It was Buffy" said Dawn as she stood up and headed to the staircase and looked up before she turned back to the door after hearing something scratching on the outside.

"What's that sound?" asked Joyce as she looked at the front door and then up the stairs before settling her eyes on the scratching sounds coming from outside the front door. Opening the front door, Joyce couldn't see anything until she felt something brush past her leg.

"Hey" said Joyce, "It's a cat."

"A cat?" said Dawn as she looked down and saw a black cat with yellowish eyes, "it's so cute."

"Dawn" said Joyce, "it could be someone else's pet."

The cat then slowly brushed Joyce's legs before brushing Dawn's legs. It then simply sat and looked up at the two women.

"Mom" said Dawn, "its sooo cute."

"Dawn" said Joyce.

"Come on" said Dawn, "she has no tag on her and I'll put notices around the neighbourhood with her picture on it so that her owner will know where she is."

"But…" said Joyce before Dawn interrupted her.

"I'll take care of it" said Dawn, "I promise, pretty please?"

"Alright" said Joyce as she shut the door, "Get a bowl and pour some milk into it for the cat, I'll go talk to Buffy and then get some cat food from the local store."

"Alright" said Dawn as she rushed into the kitchen to get some milk and Joyce went up the stairs to talk to Buffy.

In the meantime, the cat walked into the living room and saw Kon sitting on the couch watching the television. Kon looked at the cat and then back at the television as he moved over to the other side of the couch.

"Hi" said Kon as the cat jumped onto the couch and sat beside him, "It's nice to see you again, Yoruichi-san."


	15. The Witch and the Soul Society (Part 3)

**Summers' Residence, 10:00am, the next day.**

"Hey Buffy!" shouted Willow as she opened the door to the Summers household.

"Willow?" said Dawn who had just come out of the kitchen upon hearing the red head shout Buffy's name, "what are you doing here so early?"

"Where's Buffy?" asked Willow.

"I think she's still asleep" said Dawn, "she had a really bad night."

"What happened?" asked Willow as she looked up the stairway.

"It was Riley" said Dawn with anger on her face, "he decided to choose the army again over her."

"Oh" said Willow as she looked back at Dawn, "I think I should go and talk to her."

"Willow" said Dawn as she reached for the red head's arm, "mom and I tried to talk to her but she said she doesn't want to be disturbed by anyone. She was so upset that she even scared Ichigo away last night, just when I was getting somewhere with him."

"Oh, Dawnie" said Willow with a smile, "he's too old for you sweetie, the crush with fade."

"It's not a crush" said Dawn, "I like him."

"Of course you do" said Willow as she managed a small smile.

"Anyway" said Dawn, "what's up with you? I thought you were coming later to perform that summoning spell for the Soul Reaper?"

'_Who just happens to be Ichigo'_ thought Dawn to herself, _'I wonder what it would be like to have a Soul Reaper as a boyfriend, I'm sure it would be lots of fun. We could…..'_

"Dawnie?" said Willow as she poked her shoulder, "your eyes glazed over a bit just now, and you're drooling a bit."

"Oh… no… no" said Dawn, "um…. Yeah, you were saying? You know, why you're here?"

"Yea" said Willow with concern etched onto her face, "have you heard from Tara by any chance?"

"Huh?" said Dawn, "I thought you told me that she went to visit some relative who was having heart surgery in Washington."

"I know; that's what she told me too" said Willow, "but I can't feel her… I can't feel her."

"Hey" said Dawn as she started to see Willow tremble slightly with worry, "come on, sit down."

"Now" continued Dawn as she sat Willow down on the couch before sitting down next to her, "what do you mean you can't feel her?"

"I can just feel her when she's around me" said Willow, "but now, it's like I don't even sense her at all. It's like having a hole somewhere in my heart, she filled it and now it's empty."

"She's in Washington" said Dawn smiling, "maybe she's out of your sensor range. Get it? I made a Trek reference…. Sensor range."

"Maybe" said Willow as she gave a small smile, "But she hasn't even called me to let me know she's alright, or that she reached the hospital safely, or even how her relative is doing."

"Oh" said Dawn, "maybe she's staying some place with no reception?"

Willow then looked at Dawn quizzically.

"Yea" said Dawn as she looked down at the carpeted floor, "I couldn't believe I said that either."

"Willow?" said a soft voice from the stairway.

"Hey Buffy" said Willow as she got up and walked over to her best friend, "Dawn told me what happened, how are you feeling?"

"Like Riley just ran out on me?" said Buffy as she slowly walked down the stairs.

"Mom made you some pancakes" said Dawn.

"Where is she?" asked Buffy as she looked around for Joyce.

"She said that some guy had come in wanting to open up an exhibit in her gallery" said Dawn, "she said he was offering a lot of money so she had no choice but to go. She should be back in two hours or so?"

"Where's Ichigo?" asked Buffy, "I was sure he'd be here."

"He said something about having to study the whole day" said Dawn, "plus I guess you must have freaked him out a bit by screaming that all guys were evil bastards who should be killed on sight."

"No!" said Buffy with her eyes wide open.

"And then you said that the next guy you see will have his arms and other stuff chopped off" said Dawn, "then he made some excuse about it getting late and that he needed to get some stuff done."

"Oh God" said Buffy as she rubbed both her hands on her face, "I should go and apologize to him."

"Yeah" said Dawn, "because of you, he may never come back."

"If it tortures you, then I hope he doesn't come back for a long time" said Buffy with a small smile, "I'd really like to see how you'd react."

"I better go" said Willow who had started to get upset.

"Hey Wills" said Buffy as she noticed the sad look on the red head's face, "what's going on?"

"Its Tara" said Willow, "I can't feel her anymore, I don't even know if she's ok."

"She hasn't called you?" asked Buffy.

"No" replied Willow.

"That's strange" said Buffy, "doesn't sound like her, she's the most responsible out of all of us. Well, other than Giles that is."

"I'm worried" said Willow, "I've never felt something like this before."

"Have you tried a location spell?" asked Buffy.

"No" said Willow, "I'm so stupid, that's the first thing I should have done when I started feeling this."

"Listen" said Buffy, "how about you get the stuff for the spell ready, while I clear out the table and get a map of the States. Then you can do your spell and you'll see that Tara's in Washington, then you can relax."

"Yeah" said Willow as she nodded her head excitedly, "I'll go get some stuff from the Magic Box and then I'll be back."

"Great" said Buffy as the red head ran out the door, closing it behind her.

"Hey Buff" said Dawn, "are you alright?"

"Let's get everything ready for Will" said Buffy as she slowly went down the stairs to the dining room.

"Buffy" said Dawn again as she held Buffy's hand, "are you alright?"

"He left" said Buffy sadly, "He left even after I screamed at him to stay."

"I'm sorry" said Dawn as she put her hand around Buffy's shoulders.

Just then Buffy felt something brush against her feet.

"Hey, when did we get a cat?" she asked, staring surprised at the black cat that was staring back at her.

"Oh, you mean Miss Kitty Bojangles?" said Dawn with a grin, "me and mum found her outside after you came running in last night."

"First, why did you give her such a horrible name" said Buffy as she swore she saw the cat grimace a little before it ran off to the living room, "and second, we have a cat?"

"Yes we have a cat" said Dawn, "mom said we can keep her as long as I keep a watch over her, and as long as no one comes by to claim her."

"OK" said Buffy as she peeked into the living room and saw the cat sitting on the couch, "I could swear that cat keeps on staring at me."

"You're just being paranoid" said Dawn as she went into the living room and started playing with her new pet.

**Shin'O Academy, Soul Society, 1:00pm**

"So Rukia" said Helen as she, Tara and Ichigo were led by the thirteenth division lieutenant on a tour of the Shin'O Academy, "what will they teach me here, I mean how long?"

"The regular curriculum lasts for about six years" said Rukia.

"Six years?" said Tara surprised.

"Yea" said Rukia, "although there have been exceptionally gifted students who have graduated in considerably less time such as Captain Hitsugaya."

"Oh" said Helen.

"The curriculum covers general subjects in addition to how to control and make use of reiatsu, the four major Shinigami combat forms such as unarmed close combat fighting techniques known as Hakuda, Hoho which are rapid movements of the feet such as shunpo, Kido and Zanjutsu or sword fighting using the Zanpakutō."

"Zanpakutō?" asked Tara.

"The swords all shinigami carry" said Rukia as she took out her sword, "my Zanpakutō's name is Sode no Shirayuki."

"Every sword has a name?" said Tara.

"The swords of the low ranking Shinigami do not have names, not yet anyway" said Rukia.

"What's that mean?" asked Tara.

"The academy also teaches its students not just combat techniques, but also how to conduct soul burials and communicate with the spirit of their Zanpakutō" said Rukia as she showed Tara her sword.

"Spirits?" asked Tara as she looked at Rukia and Ichigo.

"Each Shinigami's Zanpakutō is unique" said Rukia, "they are a reflection of our power and souls, and are themselves sentient beings. The Zanpakutō's name is the name of the living spirit which empowers the sword and lends its strength to the Shinigami who wields it. The spirits even have their own distinct personalities, which match their owner's."

"No way, it… it can't be" said Tara.

"Its true" said Ichigo as he reached behind him and unsheathed Zangetsu, "My Zanpakutō's name is Zangetsu, he looks like an older man wearing a black overcoat and glasses. I'm sure you can see the aura around him."

"Yes" said Tara as she looked closely at Zangetsu, "its just like yours."

"Yes" said Rukia, "because Zangetsu was borne out of his soul, just as my Sode no Shirayuki was borne out of mine."

"A Zanpakutō's shape and abilities are based on their Shinigami's soul" continued Rukia, "once a Shinigami learns the sword's name, they can communicate with one another and grow stronger together and eventually the true power of the Zanpakutō can be released. You should remember that the Zanpakutō are born with their Shinigami, and they die along with them. We use our Zanpakutō in battle as a reflection of our heart. They are one with the Shinigami, and they share a Shinigami's conviction."

"Released?" asked Helen.

"Most Shinigami's Zanpakutō have two stages of release" said Rukia as they reached a clearing where students were practicing their kido spells, "the Shikai and the second and final stage which is bankai."

"You said most" said Helen.

"Yes" said Ichigo, "Zangetsu is constantly in a state of Shikai or initial release. It's because of my high reiatsu."

"And this is mine" said Rukia as she held out her sword and turned it counter clock-wise, "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki."

Helen and Tara looked on as Rukia's sword became all white ,as a white ribbon formed from the pommel of the sword and a cold wind appeared and spread out from where Rukia was standing.

"It's beautiful" said Tara as she looked at Rukia's sword.

"Sode no Shirayuki is a she" said Rukia, "she doesn't like being called an it."

"Oh" said Tara, "I… I'm sorry."

"She accepts your apology" said Rukia smiling.

"Please tell her she's beautiful" said Tara.

"She thanks you" said Rukia.

"Have you reached bankai?" asked Helen.

"No" said Rukia, "it's a challenge as you'll learn when you attend the Academy."

"How about you, Ichigo?" asked Helen.

"Yes" said Ichigo, "I had no choice but to learn my bankai, that was the only way to save Rukia."

"Can you show us?" said Tara.

"Maybe another time?" said Ichigo, "no sense in giving away all my secrets yet."

"All right" said Tara smiling, "you and your secrets."

"Ichigo" said Helen as she looked at the orange haired boy, "is your Zanpakutō heavy? I mean when compared to Rukia's sword, yours looks much heavier."

"No, actually" said Ichigo, "it's a piece of my soul, so how can it be heavy for me?"

"Good point" said a smiling Helen.

"So will my mom be getting a Zanpakutō as well?" asked Tara.

"Yes" said Rukia, "and she'll learn how to communicate with the spirit, which is the first step to Shikai. She will basically have to live with her Zanpakutō every single day and night."

"What are we doing here, Rukia?" said Ichigo as he looked at the targets in the distance.

"Think of it as a test" said Rukia smiling.

"Yo, Kuchiki" said Captain Ukitake as he flash stepped in front of the group of four souls.

"Captain Ukitake" said Rukia.

"Ukitake-san" said Ichigo smiling.

"Hello Helen, Tara" said the Captain, "how are you liking the tour so far?"

"It's exciting" said Helen, "especially what Ichigo and Rukia have been telling us about the Zanpakutō. I never realized that the Zanpakutō were really sentient beings."

"Don't worry" said the Captain laughing, "You'll be taught everything you need to know at the Academy."

"Captain" said Rukia as she tried to remind him why they were here in the first place.

"Ah yes" said Captain Ukitake as he looked at Helen, "If you don't mind, I will show you three more Kido spells just once, would you be able to do it in front of five other Captains?"

"Sure" said Helen nervously.

"These will be medium level spells, but I think you will be able to do it" said Captain Ukitake smiling.

"Ukitake" said Captain Kyoraku as he flash stepped beside the white haired captain, "the others are here."

"Kyoraku-san" said Ichigo.

"Ichigo-kun" said the Captain Kyoraku, "after this, we need to have a talk about that thing Rukia-chan here asked us to check out."

"Oh?" said Ichigo, "of course."

"IS everything ready?" said a gruff voice behind the Shinigami.

Helen and Tara turned around just as they saw Rukia kneeling down onto the floor.

"Wow" said Tara as she could see an aura of fire around an old man wearing a white coat with a long white beard, "who's that?"

"That is the Captain Commander of the Gotei 13, the military arm of Seireitei" said Captain Ukitake, "the ones standing next to him are Captains Toshiro Hitsugaya, Shinji Hirako, and Byakuya Kuchiki."

"Oh" said Tara, "Rukia's brother?"

"Yes" said Captain Ukitake, "now may I ask you, Kuchiki and Ichigo-kun to please stand back?"

"Yes, Sir" said Rukia as she and Ichigo, who was holding on to Tara flash stepped back to where the other Captain's were standing.

"Show them what you can do mom" said Tara quietly.

Tara looked on as Captain Ukitake showed Helen three attacking or Hado spells which she later learnt were Shakkaho, Sokatsui and Raikoho. Tara and the others looked on as Helen passed each test after having been shown the spell only once by Captain Ukitake. She glanced at the Captains standing next to her and saw the genuine surprise on their faces, especially on the faces of Captains Kuchiki and Hitsugaya.

"Interesting" said the Captain Commander as he approached Helen, "very interesting."

"Th… thank you" said Helen as she bowed her head slightly to the old man.

"Yama-Jii" said Captain Kyoraku, "I think she passed the test, wouldn't you say?"

"Very interesting, Helen Maclay" said the Captain Commander as he gave a imperceptible nod to Captain Ukitake before he turned around and flash stepped back to the first squad barracks.

"Congratulations, Helen" said Captain Ukitake as Tara walked towards her mother.

"Wow" said Tara, "that was amazing mom."

"Thanks" said Helen as she held Tara's hand.

"Captain" said Tara as she looked at Captain Ukitake, "Would it be alright if I try?"

"Would you like something simpler or what Helen just did?" asked the Captain.

"How about the first one mom did?" said Tara.

"Shakkaho?" asked Captain Ukitake.

"Well, she is my daughter" said Helen smiling.

"Ukitake?" said Captain Kyoraku.

"Helen's daughter would like to give Shakkaho a try" said Captain Ukitake.

"I don't see the problem in letting her try" said the Captain, "I'll tell the others to wait awhile before they leave."

"Of course" said a smiling Captain Ukitake before he turned to face Tara, "would you like me to show you the spell?"

"I watched you show my mom" said Tara with a smile.

"Very well" said Captain Ukitake as he flash stepped back to where the others were standing.

Tara closed her eyes and concentrated as she put up her hand with her palm facing outwards and then said the spell she heard her mother say.

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!" said Tara as, to the surprise of all the Captains present, a very large orb of crimson energy was being generated on Tara's palm, "Hado number 33: Shakkaho."

"Ichigo-kun… Ukitake!" shouted Captain Kyoraku as a pillar of red energy from Tara's palm shot out and sped towards the target wall, with Tara flying the other way from the recoil of the blast. Within a split second Captain Ukitake activated his Shikai and flash stepped in front of the red energy blast and used his Shikai's special ability to absorb the shot into one of his swords while releasing the stored energy upwards into the sky through the other sword. Ichigo, on the other hand, flash stepped right behind Tara and caught her just before she hit one of the pillars of the building behind the clearing.

"Tara!" shouted Helen as she ran where Ichigo had landed with her in his arms.

The other Captain's flash stepped around them as Tara slowly opened her eyes and looked around, only to see faces looking down at her.

"Wh…. what just happened?" asked Tara.

"Your blast would have been powerful enough to bring down the target wall and hit the buildings behind it" said Captain Hitsugaya, "Captain Ukitake deflected the energy skywards where it could not cause any damage."

"I… I… I'm sorry" said Tara to the surprised Captains.

"Do not say sorry" said Captain Kuchiki as he turned around and flash stepped away.

"Interesting" said Captain Hirako as he crouched down and looked at Tara, "the living world has very interesting and beautiful people. First Inoue-chan and now Tara."

"Th… thanks" said a nervous Tara as she was helped up by Ichigo.

"It is exceedingly rare to have a Ryoka perform that level of kido" said Captain Hitsugaya as he looked at Tara.

"My daughter has been practising magic her entire life" said Helen as she rubbed some of the dirt around Tara's cheeks, "are you alright?"

"Yes mom" said Tara smiling at her mother.

"I'm sure Yama-jii saw that blast" said Captain Kyoraku, "I should go and explain everything to him."

"Alright" said Captain Ukitake, "I'll inform Ichigo-kun of what we've found so far."

"Huh?" said Helen and Tara.

"Is it about that woman?" asked Tara as she looked at Ichigo and the others.

"Yes" said Captain Ukitake, "but I would like the both of you to relax as the guests of the thirteenth division for tonight."

"But….." said Tara as Captain Ukitake interrupted her.

"You will be leaving tomorrow morning, Tara" he said, "wouldn't you rather spend the remaining time you have in Soul Society for this year with your mother?"

"You…You're right" said Tara as she held Helen's hand.

"I'll see you later Tara" said Ichigo as Rukia and Captain Hirako flash stepped away with the both of them to the thirteenth division guest quarters.

"Ichigo-kun" said Captain Ukitake, "Kyoraku and Captain Hitsugaya have been helping me to conduct research on this woman that you and Kuchiki faced."

"Kurosaki" said Captain Hitsugaya, "the woman that you call Glory is a Hell God."

"What?!" said Ichigo surprised.

"All we've come up is what she is" said Captain Hitsugaya, "we're still researching her strengths and weaknesses. Everyone we have is already behind this."

"We cannot have a resident of hell, even if it is a god, to be roaming free in the world of the living" said Captain Ukitake, "we will have to find a way to defeat her."

"How about this key?" said Ichigo.

"All we know is that it opens all of the dimensional barriers" said Captain Ukitake, "if it is used, the Key can bring destruction on a grand scale."

"You may even see Soul Society pouring out into the world of the living alongside other dimensions" said Captain Hitsugaya.

"Ichigo-Kun" said Captain Ukitake, "do you know where the Key is?"

"Not at the moment" said Ichigo as he averted his eyes from Captain Ukitake's.

"I see" said Captain Ukitake, "if you do happen to find the Key, it should be protected at all costs. If it falls into the hands of the enemy, then it needs to be destroyed before it can be used."

"I understand" said Ichigo, "should I happen to find the Key, I will help the Slayer to protect it."

"Captain Ukitake" said Captain Hitsugaya, "I'll take my leave now, I have some paperwork that needs to be completed."

"Of course" said Captain Ukitake.

"I will send Matsumoto to help you in conducting more of the research into this Glory" said Captain Hitsugaya as he flash stepped away.

"Ichigo-Kun" said captain Ukitake as he walked towards the substitute Shinigami, "we will inform you once we know more about Glory and once we have a plan of attack."

"Thanks Ukitake-san" said Ichigo as he flash stepped away.

"Be careful Ichigo-Kun" said the white haired captain as he looked at the direction that Ichigo took off to, "and watch over the Key."

**Summers' Residence, 10:00pm.**

"Willow" said Buffy as she and the red headed witch sat around the dining table after dinner, "you got everything you need for the locator spell?"

"Yes" said a very worried Willow.

"Don't worry Will" said Buffy, "she'll be alright, you'll see."

"Alright" said Willow, "here we go."

After repeating the spell twice, Willow was still unsuccessful in her attempt.

"Oh my God" said Willow as she started to become hysterical, "I can't find her."

"Do you know what this means?" said Willow as she looked at Buffy before she started to pace the living room, as she rubbed her face with her hands.

"It doesn't mean anything Wills" said Buffy.

"She could be dead, Buffy" said Willow, "she could be alone somewhere and dead."

"Willow" said Buffy calmly, "maybe she put a spell around herself so that she couldn't be found."

"Why?" said Willow, "Oh no…. do you think she's got someone else?"

"Now I think you're high" said Buffy as she held on to both of Willow's shoulders, "come on Wills, she loves you."

"Then where is she?" said Willow as she started crying onto Buffy's shoulder, "where is she? Where is my Tara?"

TBC.


	16. Return from Soul Society

**Thirteenth Division guest quarters, Soul Society, the next day, 1:00am**

"Rukia" said Ichigo as he was standing at the balcony of the 3 bedroom guest home, "done with patrolling?"

"Yes" said Rukia as she landed right next to him and leaned onto the railing and looked up at the night sky.

"I thought I should let you know that your sisters are doing alright" said Rukia, "your dad has been bugging me to stay in your room while I'm doing my patrols in Karakura Town."

"Oh" said Ichigo, "well you've always liked the closet."

"Yea" said Rukia, "Sado's doing well, he likes the university he's in now."

"He should" said Ichigo, "it's one of the best."

"And I saw Inoue too" said Rukia softly, "she invited me to her house for some dinner."

"Ah" said Ichigo smiling, "some of her special concoctions?".

"Yep" said Rukia with a smile, "I think this time it was some ice cream mixed with beef curry. Very unique dish."

"I bet" said Ichigo.

"You've been talking to her?" asked Rukia.

"Yep" said Ichigo, "She told me that her classes were going well."

"Saw Tatsuki and the others too" said Rukia, "they miss you a lot."

"I miss them too" said Ichigo.

"I heard from Sentaro that you left dinner early" said Rukia softly.

"Yea" said Ichigo, "just wanted to give Tara and Helen some time alone."

"Was it just because you wanted to give them time alone?" asked Rukia as she looked at her friend.

"What else would it be?" asked Ichigo as he kept on looking up.

"I'm sorry Ichigo" said Rukia as she looked back at the sky, "I know how much you wish your mother was here in Soul Society but you, of all people, know what happens when a Hollow eats a soul."

"Yes" said Ichigo, "doesn't stop making me hope that she's here somewhere. That's why I've never stopped saying that I hope she's alright here."

"I know" said Rukia quietly, "Renji and I have been checking during our off hours as well, but we haven't anything."

"Thanks" said Ichigo softly.

"Ichigo?" said Tara as she knocked on the closed door to his room.

"I'll see you later" said Rukia, "oh, Captain Ukitake wanted me to tell you that Urahara has already sent back up for you in Sunnydale."

"Alright" said Ichigo, "thanks for letting me know."

"Ichigo?" said Tara again as she knocked in the door, "may I come in?"

"See ya" said Rukia as she flash stepped away.

"Bye" said Ichigo as he went back into his room and opened the door and saw Tara standing there wearing the traditional Shinigami black coloured robe.

"Hey" said Ichigo.

"May I come in?" asked Tara as Ichigo moved to one side and let Tara into his room.

"I thought you'd be staying with your mother?" said Ichigo, "I mean you've got just eight hours left before we have to go back to the world of the living."

"She's talking with Captain Ukitake about something" said Tara as she walked over to the balcony with Ichigo following her, "trust me, we won't be sleeping tonight at all."

"Yea, I wouldn't be surprised" said Ichigo as he leaned onto the balcony railing.

"Have I said thank you?" said Tara as she looked up at the sky.

"Yes" smiled Ichigo, "many… many times."

"Well, thank you" said Tara as she looked at Ichigo.

"You're welcome" said Ichigo.

"You left early" said Tara, "are you alright?"

"Yea" said Ichigo, "Just wanted to give you and Helen some privacy, not much time left."

"I know there's something else" said Tara as she turned and faced Ichigo.

"Are you happy?" asked Ichigo, "I mean are you happy after seeing your mother again?"

"That's a silly question" said Tara, "of course I'm happy, why wouldn't I be?"

"I'm glad" said Ichigo.

"But you never answered my question" said Tara, "all you did was try to change the subject, what's wrong?"

"Nothing" said Ichigo with a smile, "so, how long will Ukitake-san be talking with your mother?"

"I don't know" said Tara as she held on to Ichigo's hands, "Ichigo, you promised me no more secrets. I'm your friend and I deserve to know what's wrong. I can see it in your aura, something's wrong."

"Tara…" said Ichigo as Tara interrupted her.

"When we went for lunch the day you brought me here, my mother was saying something about what happens when a Hollow eats a soul" said Tara, "I saw your face, you looked sad."

"Yes" said Ichigo with a sigh.

"You told me your mother was killed by a Hollow" said Tara, "so shouldn't she be in Soul Society?"

"Tara" said Ichigo as he tried to step back but Tara wouldn't let go of his hands.

"Ichigo" said Tara, "why's the real reason you brought me to see my mother?"

"I already told you the reason" said Ichigo, "birthdays should be spent with one's mother."

"Ichigo" said Tara, "why haven't you visited your mother while you were here? I mean you could come here anytime and see her right? Ichigo?"

"She's not here" said Ichigo as he closed his eyes, "I was telling you the truth about why I wanted to bring you here, but I lied about what happened to my mother."

"Oh" said Tara as she looked hurt, "so she's alive?"

"No" said Ichigo as she looked down, "the Hollow didn't just kill her, Tara. It ate her soul."

"But…" said Tara shocked, "but…."

"Once a Hollow eats a soul" said Ichigo, "it's gone. It's no more. To Hollow's, a soul is food. They eat as much as they can."

"Then when you saw me spending time with my mother" said Tara as she looked outside his door, "it must have made you….."

"No" said Ichigo as he held on to both of Tara's arms, "don't even think that, I'm glad you spent time with your mother. My issues are my own; don't let it affect what's happening now. You should enjoy the rest of the time with your mother without thinking about anything else."

"Ichigo" said Tara as she leaned onto the railing in the balcony and looked at Ichigo, "can you tell me about her?"

"Who?" said Ichigo.

"Your mother" said Tara, "I mean, you've seen my mom. So don't you think it's fair that you tell me about yours?"

"I can show you a picture of her when we get back" said Ichigo.

"True" said Tara, "but a picture doesn't tell everything; I mean what was she like? did she….."

"She was the most beautiful woman ever" said Ichigo as he leaned on the balcony railing as well and closed his eyes, "her hair smelled of strawberries, the day… the day she died… she had left home after taking a shower using the same strawberry scented shampoo. It's the first thing I smelt when she consoled me after Tatsuki hit me at the dojo, and the last thing I smelt when she died. Her hair was bright orange, like mine. She always made us eat our vegetables, although she hated them. I blamed myself for her death because I couldn't protest her, I even asked my dad why no one blamed me; and he explained to me that I was the man the woman he fell in love with gave her life to save."

"Ichigo" said Tara as her eyes started to water.

"Tara" said Ichigo as he looked at Tara while still leaning on the balcony railing, "my mother loved us all. She was like the sun. She was the center of the family and everything that went on with the family revolved around her. When she died, it nearly destroyed us all."

Tara slowly moved closer to Ichigo as the both of them looked up at the night sky.

"My family visits her grave every year" said Ichigo, "and when we went just after I got my Shinigami powers, I fought Grand Fisher who was attacking my sisters."

"Yes" said Tara quietly, "You told me."

"What I didn't tell you was that Grand Fisher uses a lure that looks completely human to attract its victims" said Ichigo.

"Oh" replied Tara.

"When I fought him the first time, I was already on the losing end of the battle" said Ichigo as he faced Tara with water in his eyes, "my mother's memory was released from Grand Fisher's lure, she told me her last thoughts when she died. She said that all she could think about was how much fun we all had together and for me to never stop smiling. And then, the memory of her was gone. But she gave me the strength I needed to nearly kill Grand Fisher. And now, I hope against hope that maybe she could be out here somewhere. Even though I know that her soul is gone, eaten by that Hollow; I can still hope."

"Captain Ukitake said he'll take about an hour or so to talk to my mother" said Tara quietly before she looked back at Ichigo, "can you take me somewhere?"

"Huh?" said Ichigo confused as he wiped some of the tears from his face.

"I have an hour to kill before my mom's done" said Tara softly, "and I don't want to stay here."

"Oh" said Ichigo.

"So could you take me somewhere?" said Tara as she put her arm around Ichigo's shoulder.

"Sure" said Ichigo as he flash stepped with Tara to the top of Sokyoku Hill.

"Here we are" said Ichigo as he guided Tara to the edge of the drop-off and sat down.

"It's beautiful" said Tara as she looked at the view.

"I remember this place like it was only yesterday" said Ichigo as he looked back at the flat section of the hill, "we saved Rukia here and I activated my bankai for the first time while facing Byakuya."

"That most have been some fight" said Tara.

"It was" replied Ichigo, "Byakuya's bankai is really scary."

"But you won" said Tara.

"Yes" said Ichigo.

"So is this your life?" asked Tara as she looked at Ichigo.

"Kind of" said Ichigo, "I've always wanted power; power to protect my friends and family, power to protect others. I have it now and that's what I'm going to do, that's what I've been doing."

"You don't see it as a burden?" asked Tara.

"No" said Ichigo, "when I lost my powers after beating Aizen, I was in a state of depression for a while. I knew I couldn't do anything to protect anyone. Then my friends here helped me gain it back."

"I'm glad they did" said Tara, "or else my soul would have been eaten by that Hollow."

"Me too" said Ichigo, "I mean I'm glad too."

"Can we just sit here?" asked Tara as she sat closer to Ichigo.

"Sure" said Ichigo as the both of them just looked out at the lights of Soul Society.

**Sokyoku Hill, 9:30am**

After Ichigo and Tara left the top of the hill thirty minutes after they arrived, some of the members of the Research division had put up the Spirit Exchanger on top of the hill in preparation for Ichigo's and Tara's departure.

"Tara" said Helen as she looked at the Spirit Exchanger while holding her daughter's hands, "I love you so much."

"I love you too" said Tara as she hugged Helen tightly as the two women cried.

"I'm just glad that you're alright" said Helen as she looked into her daughter's eyes.

"So this is your uniform huh?" said Tara as she looked at the Academy uniform that consisted of a white shirt with red strips, a pair of red trousers, and white socks with sandals.

"Yep" said Helen smiling, "I'm going to the dorms right after you leave."

"I'll miss you so much" said Tara as she started to cry.

"I'm right here, Tara" said Helen as she hugged her daughter again, "I'll always be here."

"Ichigo-Kun" said Captain Ukitake who was standing alongside Rukia looking at the emotional goodbye between mother and daughter, "you should keep your phone close at hand, once we know anything more about Glory; especially her weaknesses and strengths. I will contact you."

"Thanks, Ukitake-san" said Ichigo, "I'll inform the Slayer about what we know once I've gotten all the information."

"Are you sure that's wise, Ichigo?" said Rukia.

"I don't know" said Ichigo, "the way I see it, if we don't know how to beat her, it wouldn't be helpful to tell her that Glory is a Hell god. It may just create more problems and panic."

"Ichigo" said Helen as she and Tara walked up to him.

"Helen" said Ichigo as he stood in front of the both of them with Zangetsu strapped to his back.

"Thank you" said Helen as she hugged him tightly, "Thank you for bringing her to me, it's something I would never have expected anyone to do."

"It was nothing" said Ichigo.

"Please watch over her" whispered Helen into his ear.

"She's got a lot of friends for that" said Ichigo, "they'll keep her safe."

"I know" said Helen, "but promise me that you'll keep her safe as well."

"Of course" said Ichigo.

"Mom" said Tara as tears were coming out of her eyes, "its time."

"I know, honey" said Helen as Captain Ukitake and Rukia walked up behind her.

"There's next year, Tara" said Helen, "I'll still be here."

"Who knows" said Captain Ukitake smiling, "maybe she'd have graduated by then."

Helen and Tara looked back at the Captain and smiled.

"I love you mom" said Tara as she stepped back and stood next to Ichigo.

"Look after my daughter, Ichigo" said Helen as Ichigo nodded his head, "look after my Tara."

"Ichigo-kun" said the Captain, "we'll contact you soon, and like Kuchiki has told you; backup has already been sent to Sunnydale."

"Thanks, Ukitake-san" said Ichigo as he turned to face Tara.

"Ready?" asked Ichigo as Tara looked back at her smiling mother once more.

"Yes" said Tara as she held on to Ichigo's neck and he picked her up into his arms.

"They look cute together, don't they?" whispered Helen to Rukia.

"Yes, they do" smiled Rukia as she looked at Ichigo turn around facing the Spirit Exchanger with Tara's face on his shoulder, looking at her mother.

"I love you, Tara!" shouted Helen as Ichigo ran towards the gate.

"I love you too, momma!" shouted Tara as Ichigo jumped through the gate and the both of them entered the Dangai.

"Thank you Ichigo" said Tara as she kissed his cheek, "thank you so much."

"It was no problem" said Ichigo as he shunpo'd all the way through the Dangai.

Tara watched as everything around her blurred before they finally exited the darkness and stepped into a very cloudy morning in Sunnydale.

"We're home" said Tara as she tightened her hold on Ichigo as he just stood in the air.

"Yes" said Ichigo, "we're home."

"Where do you want me to drop you off?" asked Ichigo.

"The dorms" said Tara as she looked at Ichigo.

"Alright" said Ichigo as he made it back to his room in three flash steps as the gate behind him finally disappeared.

**U.C. Sunnydale Dorms, 11:30am.**

"Kon" said Ichigo as he and Tara landed inside his room.

"Ichigo" said Kon in Ichigo's body who was just about to leave the room, "Hi Tara, did you enjoy Soul Society? Did you meet your mother?"

"Yes and yes" said Tara smiling, "it was fantastic."

"I'm glad" said Kon.

"Alright Kon" said Ichigo as he slapped the back of his physical body's head as a white pill popped out of his mouth and fell onto the floor, then Ichigo slipped his spiritual body back into his physical body.

Picking up the pill, he put it back into the plush lion body that Kon usually inhabited.

"Don't do that" said Kon.

"Hey" said Ichigo, "you were in my body dumbass."

Tara could only chuckle as she sat on Ichigo's bed and looked at the interaction between him and Kon.

"Anyway" said Kon, "you need to go to the hospital now."

"The hospital?" said both Ichigo and Tara together.

"Yea" said Kon, "Buffy called me this morning, she said that Joyce had collapsed so they took her to the hospital. I was just about to head out when you came in."

"Shit" said Ichigo as he opened his door and ran out with Tara in tow.

"Hey!" said Kon, "Take me."

"Sorry" said Tara as she came back into the room and grabbed Kon before closing Ichigo's door and running after Ichigo.

**Sunnydale General, 30 minute cab ride later**

"Excuse me" said Tara who was the first one to exit the cab carrying Kon and reach the information kiosk at the lobby with Ichigo closely behind her, "we're looking for Mrs. Joyce Summers, we were told she was admitted this morning?"

"One moment please" said the woman as she checked her computer, "Ok, she's in radiology now which is on the third floor."

"Are her daughters there as well?" asked Ichigo worried.

"I believe so" said the woman.

"Thanks" said Ichigo as he and Tara, who was carrying Kon ran to the elevator and went up to the radiology department.

"Buffy" said Dawn who was seated next to Willow, "is mom going to be ok?"

"I don't know, Dawn" said Buffy who was pacing in the waiting room.

"Buffy" said Ichigo who ran up to the blonde Slayer, "what happened?"

"Buffy… Willow" said Tara who followed close behind Ichigo.

"Tara" said Willow as she quickly got up from her seat and hugged the blonde, "where were you? I was searching for you everywhere when you never called me, I was so worried."

"I told you I was in Washington, Willow" said Tara as she made a quick glance at Ichigo.

"But I did a location spell" said Willow, "and you weren't there."

"Wait, what?" said Tara as she looked at Willow.

"Ladies" said Ichigo as he looked at Tara and Willow, "how about discussing all of this later?"

"Right" said Tara as she looked at Willow.

"Buffy" said Ichigo, "what happened?"

"We didn't know" said Buffy with tears in her eyes, "none of us had a clue."

"What do you mean?" asked Tara as Willow held on to her tightly.

"I guess mom must have woken up early to make breakfast for us" said Buffy, "I don't know how long she was out but our cat had scratched my face causing me to wake up. She then ran downstairs meowing loudly all the way. I just knew I had to follow her downstairs. When I went into the kitchen, I saw mom laid up on the floor with her eyes closed and plates broken on the floor around her."

"A cat?" said Ichigo.

"Yea" said Willow, "you saw the cat. It was the day Riley left."

"Oh" said Ichigo, "sorry my memory isn't good sometimes."

'_Thank you Yoruichi-san for saving Joyce.' _Thought Ichigo to himself_, "wait, Riley left?"_

"Then Willow called the ambulance, and now we're here" said Dawn.

"Willow?" said Tara, "you stayed over at Buffy's?"

"Yea" said Dawn, "Buffy helped her to do a location spell to search for you."

Tara then looked at both Willow and Buffy unsure about whether to be happy that Willow was concerned about her enough to look for her, or angry that Willow didn't trust her to do things on her own. What Tara was sure of was that this was an invasion of her privacy. All she knew was that, she had to talk to Willow later.

"Buffy" said Ichigo as he glanced at Tara who glanced back at him, "it'll be alright, you'll see."

"I'm worried" said Buffy, "she's been complaining about having headaches lately so I'm not sure if this has anything to do with that."

"Did the doctors say anything?" asked Tara as Willow let go of her and stood next to her while holding her hand tightly.

"No" said Dawn when she saw the lion plush that Tara was holding on to, "hey, that's cute. Is that for me?"

"Ummmm…. This?" said Tara as she nervously looked at Kon and then at Ichigo who gave her a nod, "yeah, this is for you. It's my relative's; she said that it brings good luck."

"Great" said Dawn as she grabbed Kon after Tara handed the plush toy to her, "please tell your relative I said thanks."

"I will" said Tara smiling as Dawn turned around and walked back towards Buffy.

"Hold on a second" said Willow as she stepped back a bit and looked at Tara, then Ichigo before going back to look at Tara again, "how come the both of you came here at the same time?"

"Huh?" asked Ichigo.

"Willow" said Buffy, "I'm sure it was just a coincidence."

"It was, Willow" said Ichigo, "I was already on the way out just as Tara got back from her trip. I told her what happened and the both of us came here."

'_I'm sorry Willow' _thought Ichigo to himself, _'I just have to lie for a little while longer, Tara will tell you the truth soon. I just hope you don't blame her.'_

"Willow" said Tara, "are you saying I cheated on you?"

"No" said Willow as she turned and looked at Tara.

"Then why…." Said Tara, "wait, did you actually think I cheated on you?"

"Well, I….." said Willow just as Giles, Xander and Anya walked in.

"Buff" said Xander as he gave her a hug.

"Buffy" said Giles, "we came as fast as we could."

"We would have come earlier if we didn't have to wait for Anya" said Giles.

"We couldn't kick out that last customer" said Anya as she took out a bunch of receipts from her handbag.

"Ahn" said Xander as he stared at the former Vengeance Demon, "don't tell me you're going to….?"

"Calculate how much money we made so far?" said Anya, "you bet."

"Very droll Anya" said Giles as he looked at Ichigo and Tara.

"Tara" said Giles, "I hope your relative is doing alright?"

"Yes" said Tara with a toothy smile, "she's doing really well now, her surgery went well and she's recovering as we speak."

"Oh" said Giles, "I hope she's got other's taking care of her."

"She does" said Tara as Ichigo looked away and smiled.

"Hey" said Anya as she sat next to Dawn and saw the lion plushie I her hands, "where'd you get that?"

"Tara gave it to me" said Dawn, "it was a gift from her relative."

"Oh" said Anya as she looked at Tara, "I've seen this before in Japan."

"Yeah" said Tara, "she was in Japan for awhile."

"Oh" said Anya as she started to poke the plushie with her finger. Once she touched Kon's body, she jumped up and stepped back, "What the hell?"

"Ahn?" said Xander as he ran to his girlfriend, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing" said Anya as she looked at a smiling Ichigo and Tara who were looking back at her before looking back at Kon, "I thought I saw a bug on the lion plushie."

"Oh" said Xander as he helped pick up the receipts that she dropped.

"I'll just sit right here" said Anya, "away from other distractions while I add up the money collected so far."

"Alright" said Anya as Xander walked away to talk to Buffy and Giles on the other side of the room while Dawn was holding onto the lion plushie.

"Anya" said Ichigo as he sat next to her.

"What is that?" whispered Anya, "I felt something from the plushie."

"Like a soul?" asked Ichigo softly as Anya looked at him in shock and nodded.

"That's because a modified soul is occupying that body" whispered Ichigo.

"A modified soul?" said Anya softly.

"Yes" said Ichigo, "don't worry, he's harmless. He'll keep a watch over the girls just in case. So will the cat."

"What does a cat have to do….." said Anya as she finally came to a realization, "don't tell me…."

"Yup" smiled Ichigo, "the cat is a dear friend of mine and a Soul Reaper."

"You people are making my life a living hell" whispered Anya.

"I'm sorry" said Ichigo, "but something's coming for Buffy and the others, and I'm just trying to help out if I can. The cat is my backup."

"Nice" said Anya sarcastically, "don't you think it time you let us in on what you know?"

"Look" said Ichigo, "all I know is that this bad person's name is Glory and that she is extremely powerful. Rukia and I were there when Buffy faced off against her and she nearly beat is because we were unprepared for her."

"Wait" whispered Anya, "did you just say Glory?"

"Yea" said Ichigo, "Why?"

"That name" said Anya as she quickly went through the receipts for the time until just before they left the store for the hospital. Ichigo saw her go through all the receipts until she stopped at one in particular as she went through the sale.

"Oh God" said Anya silently before she looked at Ichigo.

"You need to tell them what Glory bought" said Ichigo, "but please, don't involve me. Not yet. Please."

"Alright" said Anya as she got up and went to Giles.

"Giles" said Anya as she glanced at Tara who was standing close by with Willow, Buffy and Xander, "these items should not have been sold together."

"Why?" asked Giles as he grabbed the receipt from Anya and looked through it.

"Those are the ingredients for a Sobekian transmogrification spell" said Anya as she pointed out the ingredients to Giles.

"No" said Giles as the others excepts for Dawn and Ichigo were standing around him, "that spell has been lost for centuries, the young woman I sold it to would need to have enormous power…. Oh God."

"Giles?" asked Buffy as she looked at her watcher.

"Oh God" said Giles again.

"Giles!" said Buffy a bit loudly.

"The woman who beat you at the warehouse" said Giles, "her name according to this receipt is Glory and she's bought the ingredients for a very powerful spell."

All the others could do was look at Giles, while Tara glanced at Ichigo as he took out his phone and sent a message before putting it back in his pocket and glancing at Tara.

'_He must have contacted Soul Society'_ thought Tara to herself, _'I wonder how much trouble we're in for now.'_


	17. The Shadow and the Snake

**Sunnydale General, 1:30pm.**

Ichigo was sitting down in the waiting area while the Scooby Gang was deciding on what they should be doing about Glory, in addition to what was happening to Joyce.

'_Her doctors are still examining her CAT scan'_ thought Ichigo to himself, _'hope it's nothing bad.'_

Ichigo then saw a doctor coming out of one of one of the examination room and head towards the room that he and the other Scoobies were sitting in.

"Miss Summers?" said the doctor as he entered the waiting room, "Miss Buffy Summers?"

"Yes?" said Buffy as she walked towards the doctor while surrounded by Dawn and the other Scoobies.

Ichigo walked up and stood quietly next to Giles as the doctor told Buffy that he had already finished examining Joyce, and that he needed to speak to both her and Buffy, alone.

"Alright" said Buffy as she walked to the examination room with the doctor.

Before leaving, Buffy turned around and talked to the others while making sure that Ichigo would not be able to understand what she was talking about.

'_He's a civilian'_ Buffy thought to herself, _'I don't want him to be involved in this. Have I apologized for the other night? Damn it, I need to make a mental note.'_

"Buff?" said Xander.

"I need you guys to go back to the shop and check up on that thing we were talking about" said Buffy, "I'm sure its not lost, it has to be in the store somewhere."

"Ummm… ok….." said Willow.

"Can you take Dawn with you?" asked Buffy as she looked at Giles.

"She's sleeping" said Giles as he looked back at Dawn.

"I'll stay" said Ichigo, "I mean until you're done talking to the doctor."

"You don't have to" said Buffy, "I'm sure you've got other things to do."

"Nah" said Ichigo, "you should go talk to Joyce, I'll keep the sleepy one company."

"Alright" said Buffy as she walked with the doctor to the examination room.

"Let us go then" said Giles as he looked at the group of people around him before settling his eyes on Ichigo, "thank you for offering to stay. There's some important….. Issues, we need to take care off."

"No problem" said Ichigo as the Scoobies walked away with Giles leading them out.

"Come on Tara" said Willow as she held her hand tightly.

"Ummm…." said Tara, "maybe I should stay here with Dawn too?"

"She'll be alright" said Willow as she turned around and faced Tara, "I mean Ichigo's looking after her so she's covered."

"I just don't really know how useful I can be" said Tara as she looked at Willow, "I haven't been useful much to you guys."

"You are" said Willow as she caressed her cheek, "believe me you are."

"But" said Tara as Willow pulled her along.

"I'm sure that you'll be able to see something that we may miss during our research" said Willow as they entered the elevator.

"Alright" said Tara as the elevator doors closed and she caught Ichigo glancing at her.

It was thirty minutes later that Buffy had walked out from the examination room and just stood outside the door to the room as if she was in a daze.

"Buffy?" said Ichigo as he walked towards the blonde girl, "is everything alright?"

"Ummm….." said Buffy as she just looked ahead dazed.

"Buffy?" said Ichigo again as he tapped her shoulder.

"Huh? What?" said Buffy as she turned her head sharply and looked at Ichigo.

"Everything alright?" asked Ichigo again, "Did the doctor find out why Joyce fainted?"

"He…. He said that they found a shadow" said Buffy to a shocked Ichigo, "its…. Its in her brain."

"A tumour?" asked Ichigo.

"The doctor's not sure, they're taking her to an Operating Room in a few minutes" said Buffy, "for a… for a….."

"Biopsy?" asked Ichigo.

"Yea" said Buffy as she held her arms around herself, "a… a biopsy."

"After the biopsy, the doctors will be able to figure out what that shadow is" said Ichigo.

"That's what the doctor said" replied Buffy as she still appeared dazed, "I don't know what to do."

"First things first" said Ichigo as he guided her to a chair, "you need to sit down next to Dawn, and I'll get you something to drink. Coffee alright?"

"Umm….. yea" said Buffy as her hands started to shake.

"Hey" said Ichigo as he held her hands steady and crouched in front of her, "it's going to be alright, you should see what the biopsy says. It could be nothing."

"What if it is something?" asked Buffy, "what if it's something bad?"

"You'll cross that bridge when you come to it" said Ichigo as he got up, "I'll get you that coffee alright?"

"OK" said Buffy as she looked at Dawn's peaceful sleeping face.

As Ichigo went to get the coffee, Buffy hung her head down and closed her eyes. She wasn't able to see Kon move his head slightly as he looked at her in his plushie lion form.

'_Sorry Kiddo'_ thought Kon to himself, _'I really hope that its nothing too.'_

"Here you go Buffy" said Ichigo a few minutes later as he handed her a steaming cup of coffee and sat down next to her.

"Thank you" said Buffy as she leaned back and put an arm around the sleeping Dawn.

"No problem" said Ichigo as he leaned forward and drank his coffee.

"I'm sorry" said Buffy softly.

"Huh?" replied Ichigo as he looked at Buffy.

"For the other day" said Buffy, "I was in a bad place after Riley left and I said some things loudly in my room."

"Oh…. That" said Ichigo, '_huh?'_

"I didn't really mean that all guys were evil bastards who should be killed on sight" said Buffy as she nervously laughed.

"Oh… that" said Ichigo, _'WHAT?'_

"And I also didn't mean that the next guy I see will have his arms and other stuff chopped off" said Buffy.

"Oh" said Ichigo.

"Well" said Buffy, "I'm just sorry."

"It's alright" said Ichigo as he glanced at Kon.

'_You bastard, you should have told me something like that happened'_ thought Ichigo to himself, _'I'd have come up with something better that just 'oh….. that'. Idiot.'_

"Don't worry about it" said Ichigo, "like you said.. you were in a bad place."

"Still" said Buffy as she looked at Ichigo, "I am sorry, and thankful."

"Thankful?" asked Ichigo.

"Yeah" said Buffy, "I know you're busy with your studies and stuff, so I'm grateful that you were able to stay and keep Dawn company while I was talking to the doctor."

"It's alright" said Ichigo as he looked at Dawn, "what will you tell Dawn?"

"I'll tell her we don't know anything, yet" said Buffy as she looked at the sleeping form of her sister.

"Sound policy" said Ichigo as he leaned back on his chair.

"Ichigo?" said Buffy as she looked at the orange headed boy.

"Yea?" replied Ichigo.

"I know I haven't been much of a host to you" said Buffy.

"Huh?" said Ichigo, "you have…."

"No" said Buffy as she interrupted him, "I mean Dawn and mom has been spending more time with you while I've been spending more time at my job and with Riley."

"Well" said Ichigo, "that can't be helped; you did say that your job is really important to you."

'_I understand the nature of your work'_ thought Ichigo to himself, _'you're the Slayer, you slay stuff.'_

"It is" said Buffy.

"I also used to spend a lot of time working in Karakura Town" said Ichigo, "loved it, can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing."

"What did you do?" asked Buffy.

"Security work" said Ichigo.

"Ah" said Buffy, "you know, you never asked me what work I do."

"Well" said Ichigo, "I'm sure you'll tell me what it is when the time is right."

"You're very understanding" said Buffy.

"I try" said Ichigo as he grinned at Buffy.

Buffy and Ichigo spent the next hour sitting in silence as they waited for news from the doctor about Joyce's condition.

"Buffy?" said Ichigo as he noticed the same doctor as before walking towards them.

"Doctor?" said Buffy as she got up and met the doctor near the nurses' station with Ichigo behind her.

"Miss Summers" said the doctor apprehensively.

"Is she alright?" asked Buffy.

"Everything went fine, they're moving her into recovery now" replied the doctor.

However, Ichigo could tell from the doctor's body language that something wasn't right and so he approached Buffy.

"Do you want me to stay?" asked Ichigo.

"Can you stay with Dawn?" replied Buffy.

"Sure" said Ichigo as he gave a small smile.

Ichigo walked back to where Dawn as lying asleep and sat down as he looked at the interaction between Buffy and the Doctor. As they were talking, Ichigo could see the look on Buffy's face change from the one he had been looking at just a few minutes before the doctor came out of the operating room to one that showed dismay and devastation.

'_Oh no'_ thought Ichigo to himself as he saw the pain in Buffy's eyes, _'it's bad, really bad.'_

"Ichigo" said Kon quietly as Dawn squeezed his lion form.

"Later" said Ichigo as he looked at the modified soul, "later."

Kon gave an imperceptible nod at Ichigo before he watched Buffy as her face reflected even more devastation and confusion.

"Ichigo" whispered Kon, "you should go to her."

"Right" said Ichigo as he stood up just as another man came up behind the doctor and spoke into his ear. He then saw the doctor walk quickly out of the waiting area and into an elevator. Ichigo then sat back down as the man was talking to Buffy about something, he saw Buffy nodding her head at something the man had said before he too walked away and she walked towards them.

"Buffy?" said Ichigo as he stood up and walked towards her.

"She's…. she's…." said Buffy before Ichigo held her still shaking hand and sat her down.

"What did the doctor say?" asked Ichigo quietly.

"She has a tumour" said Buffy as she finally got a realization, "Ichigo, can you stay with Dawn?"

"Of course" said Ichigo as Buffy hurriedly got up, "if she wakes up, just tell her I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" asked Ichigo.

"The Magic Box" said Buffy as she hurried off, "Look I'll ask Tara or Willow to come by so that you can take a break, maybe grab a bite to eat or something."

"Alright" said Ichigo as he scratched his head in confusion.

"Thanks" said Buffy as she ran off down the hallway and entered an elevator.

'_What's at the Magic Box?'_ thought Ichigo to himself.

**Sunnydale General, 4:00pm.**

It was an hour later that Tara had arrived to the hospital to be Ichigo's relief and at that same time Dawn had woken up.

"Hey Sleepyhead" said Ichigo as he looked at a still groggy Dawn.

"Where's Buffy?" asked Dawn as she looked around and couldn't find her sister.

"Something came up Dawn" said Tara as she glanced at Ichigo, "how about you freshen up and we go for a late lunch?"

"What happened to mom?" asked Dawn.

"We don't know yet" said Ichigo.

"Oh" said Dawn as she squeezed Kon even more.

"Dawnie" said Tara as she sat beside her, "you need to eat, let's go for some shake?"

"Alright" said Dawn as she got up and went to a rest room to freshen up.

"Tara" said Ichigo, "where's Buffy?"

"She went to fight Glory" whispered Tara.

"What?" said Ichigo.

"We found out what she wants to do" said Tara, "basically she's planning on summoning some kind of creature. All we know is that she needs a cobra, and Buffy went to the zoo which happens to be the only place in Sunnydale that has live cobra's."

"I need to go, Tara" said Ichigo as he grabbed Kon and slapped the back of his head to take out the soul pill, "help Buffy if I can."

"Ichigo" said Tara, "she's using very old and very powerful magiks. We think she existed even before language."

"There's always a record somewhere, Tara" said Ichigo, "I know Captain Ukitake and the others will find something."

"I sure hope so" said Tara.

"Here's my cell number" said Ichigo as he handed her a piece of paper, "let me know if you hear anything about Glory?"

"Alright" said Tara as she took the number into her hand and kept it in her jeans pocket.

"I'm sure Willow's not happy with you being here" said Ichigo, "wait a second, why are you here? I mean don't get me wrong I enjoy your company, but you've had the longest day ever. I don't even think you slept the whole time last day in Soul Society or after getting back."

"Willow's checking some spells that could stop Glory, and I….." said Tara as she noticed a man approaching Dawn.

"Ichigo" said Tara as she pointed at the man who was talking to Dawn.

"Hey" said Ichigo as he walked towards the man who was babbling something at the scared looking girl. He stood in front of Dawn protectively as the man tried to touch her and kept on saying that there was nothing inside Dawn, that all he could see was green.

"Sorry about that" said a man, who Ichigo recognized as one of the many orderlies he had seen walking around earlier, "he's been missing from the special wing at the hospital."

"What's wrong with him?" asked Ichigo.

"I think he had some sort of a break with reality" said the man whose name tag read as Ted, "I'm sorry again"

"Its fine" said Ichigo as Ted took the man away as he kept on staring at Dawn.

"Dawnie?" said Tara as she walked up and stood next to Dawn, "you alright?"

"Ye…. Yes" said Dawn as she looked at Tara, "can we go for lunch now?"

"Yea" said Tara as she looked at a worried Ichigo.

'So crazy people can see what the Key really looks like huh?' thought Ichigo to himself.

"Ichigo?" asked Tara as Dawn went to grab the now soulless plushie toy.

"I'm going, Tara" said Ichigo, "Kon will watch over you guys, he may be a perverted ass.. but he's strong."

"Be careful" said Tara as Ichigo popped the soul candy into his mouth and slipped out of his physical body and shunpo'd out just as Dawn turned around after having picked up the plushie.

"I'm ready" said Dawn as she looked at Tara and Kon, who was now in Ichigo's body.

"Let's go then" said Tara as she led them out.

In the meantime, Ichigo had arrived at the special wing of the hospital.

"What's going on here?" said Ichigo to himself as he walked in and noticed beds full of patients in almost every room.

"So many people who've had breaks with reality?" said Ichigo to himself, "it can't be just a coincidence, can it?"

Ichigo entered one of the rooms and the people started to scream and shout about death coming for them.

"Umm…. Guess crazy people can see me in my spiritual body" said Ichigo, "so crazy or insane people can see the Key. This is not good."

Ichigo then turned around and shunpo'd his way out of the hospital before he jumped into the sky. He looked down as Tara took Dawn and Kon to a café close by for lunch. He saw Tara look up at him before he nodded and shunpo'd away to the reptile house at the Zoo.

"Damn it, I'm too late" said Ichigo as he arrived at the reptile house and saw destruction all around him. He looked around and saw pieces of what looked like a clay urn and broken glass everywhere. He walked to one of the many snake enclosures that had broken glass and found blood inside.

"Must have been some fight" said Ichigo to himself as he walked around. He shunpo'd out of the reptile house and jumped back into the sky as he closed his eyes and concentrated.

"Damn it" he said to himself, "Glory must have found a way to hide her reiatsu. Great, and there's a weird snake creature running around Sunnydale somewhere."

Ichigo took out his cell phone and smiled as he called Buffy's home number and waited until the answering machine picked up the call.

"Yo, Yoruichi-san" said Ichigo with a grin, "I need your help. Glory released some snake thing into the wild and it seems to be searching for Buffy's kid sister. Could you watch over Dawn? She's over at the hospital with Kon and Tara. Thanks. Oh, please delete this message from the answering machine would you?"

On the other end of the line, at Buffy's house, Yoruichi could only chuckle as she changed into her Shinigami form.

"Thankfully Kisuke had the brains to put some clothes for me in a portable Gigai" said Yoruichi as she blew into a black circular object, which looked just like a soul pill, as it quickly transformed into a portable gigai for Yoruichi. But instead of slipping into the gigai, Yoruichi stripped the clothes off it and put it on before she deflated the gigai back into its previous form and put it into her pocket.

"It would be so funny if I left the naked gigai in Ichigo's room" grinned Yoruichi to herself as she deleted the message, before going out the back door and jumping into the air and flash stepping to the hospital. Once she reached the hospital, she stood on the canopy that covered the entrance and looked at Tara, Kon and Dawn having lunch.

Tara was taking a bite of her sandwich when she had a feeling of being watched. She looked around and her eyes settled on someone on the canopy over the hospital entrance looking at the three of them eating.

"Dawn?" said Tara, "I'm really craving some chocolate shake, you think you can get me one?"

"As long as I get one too" said Dawn with a grin.

"Alright" said Tara as she handed Dawn a ten dollar note.

"Cool" said Dawn as she ran into the café to order their shake.

"Kon" said Tara as soon as Dawn was out of hearing range, "who's that looking at us?"

"Oh" said Kon in surprise as he noticed Yoruichi, "that's Yoruichi-san, Ichigo must have asked her to help out."

"Oh" said Tara as she looked at the purple haired woman.

"She's the cat" said Kon matter of factly as he turned around and faced Tara.

"What?" said Tara, "you mean the cat that Willow was talking about?"

"Yeah" said Kon, "Urahara asked her to be Ichigo's back up, I guess she's here to watch over us while Ichigo's away, which I maintain is unnecessary. I'm strong enough to protect you and Dawn."

"Of course" said Tara smiling as she gave a tiny wave to Yoruichi who waved back.

"So she's a Soul Reaper too?" asked Tara as she looked at Kon.

"Yep" said Kon.

"Hey" said Dawn as she came back and did a double take at the entrance of the hospital, "why is there a weirdo standing on the canopy?"

"Huh?" said Tara as she looked at Kon, who was equally surprised.

"You know" said Dawn as she pointed at Yoruichi before turning around to sit down next to Kon, "that chick over there, the one standing on the canopy. Someone should tell her its dangerous, she could hurt herself."

"I guess someone did" said Kon as he sensed that Yoruichi shunpo'd away and sat at the edge of the hospital roof while looking at them.

"Ummm…" said Yoruichi as she looked at the three people while sitting on the roof with her legs hanging off the edge, "this just became interesting. Looks like Keys can see Shinigami."

It was fifteen minutes later that an injured Buffy had come to the café after having seen that Tara, Dawn and Kon, in Ichigo's body, were having lunch.

'_Now what's this?'_ thought Yoruichi to herself as she noticed Buffy limping slightly and holding her side.

"Buffy?" said Tara as she saw the cuts and scrapes on her face, "what happened?"

"Tara" said Buffy, "we need to go to the Magic Box, now!"

"But Buffy" said Dawn as she got interrupted by Buffy.

"No buts" said the Slayer, "get going now."

"Buffy" said Tara as she helped Buffy stay up, "let me help you."

"Thanks" said Buffy as she looked at Kon, "Ichigo, I need you to go back to the dorms."

"Buffy" said Kon as he got up, "you're…."

"Go to the dorms!" shouted Buffy as Kon straightened up and stared at her, "look, please just go to the dorms."

"Ichigo" said Tara as she walked closer to Kon and whispered, "Kon, we'll be fine. You need to contact Ichigo."

"Yoruichi-san will be following you to the Magic Box" said Kon, "be careful."

Tara nodded as she helped Buffy put her arms around her shoulders, and the both of them left with Dawn to get a taxi back to the Magic Box.

"Kon?" said Yoruichi who landed next to him after the three woman had left.

"They're going to the Magic Box, Yoruichi-san" said Kon as he headed back to the dorms, "be careful."

"Yea" said Yoruichi as she shunpo'd all the way to the Magic Box and lay back on the roof while waiting for the others to arrive.

**Magic Box, 11:00pm**

"This has been an uneventful night" said Yoruichi to herself as she lay down and looked at the stars in the night sky, "other than those screams of Hollows which I'm sure Ichigo dispatched, there's been nothing. I wonder if these guys will be in danger tonight. But oh well."

Just then, Yoruichi's phone rang and she looked at the Caller ID before picking it up.

"Yo, Ichigo" said Yoruichi as she grinned.

"Yoruichi-san" said Ichigo, "any thing going on at your end?"

"Nothing here, dear boy" said Yoruichi, "you got those Hollows I take it?"

"Yeah" said Ichigo as he stood in the night sky surveying his immediate area, "I've been tryng to sense the reiatsu of Glory and that demon, but I've got nothing."

"I think she's hiding their reiatsu" said Yoruichi, "if she is as old as Urahara and Ukitake think, then she'd know how to hide her reiatsu from Shinigami. And since she knows that there are Shinigami now in Sunnydale, I wouldn't be surprised if she's hiding their reiatsu so that she can do what she needs to do."

"That's what I thought too" said Ichigo, "I'll do another patrol and then I'll come to you."

"Alright" said Yoruichi, "get me twenty burgers will you, I'm damn hungry."

"What?" said Ichigo.

"Come on" said Yoruichi, "I didn't bring any cash with me."

"Oh for crying out loud" said Ichigo, "maybe later."

"You better" said Yoruichi, "you know how cat food tastses?"

"No" said Ichigo .

"Horrible" said Yoruichi, "plus the name the kid gave me isn't really endearing me to her much."

"Right" said Ichigo, "alright, I'll get you something."

"Thanks" said Yoruichi grinning as she disconnected the call and put away her phone.

"Ah" said Yoruichi as she lay back down and looked at the stars when suddenly she heard a loud crash and a scream.

"What the hell?!" said Yoruichi as she got up and jumped down to the street below and looked at the broken front window.

"Shit!" said Yoruichi once she saw a cobra demon heading towards Dawn and shunpo'd right in between the demon and Dawn.

A few seconds before the demon snake crashed into the Magic Box, Willow and Tara were researching some protection spells against the Cobra demon that Buffy said Glory had summoned while she was fighting her in the Reptile House at the zoo.

"Anything?" asked Buffy as Giles was helping nursing her wounds.

"Not yet" said Willow just as everything went to hell.

They all heard the front window crash in as a large sized demonic cobra flung itself through the glass and slithered into the store and looked around until it saw Dawn. Buffy went immediately into action despite her earlier injuries and attacked the demon; however it used its hands to smash the Slayer into a rack of books where she lay unconscious before it moved towards Dawn.

Dawn stood in place terrified as the Cobra demon was moving towards her and screamed as everyone else took cover.

"Dawn" said Tara and Willow as they got up from under the table and ran towards Dawn to pull her away from the demon. However, Willow and Dawn were taken aback when a purple haired woman wearing a bright coloured orange and black outfit just appeared out of nowhere and stood between Dawn and the cobra demon.

'_Yoruichi'_ thought Tara to herself as she looked on in relief.

"Who?" said Willow as she looked at Tara and noticed a look of either recognition or relief_, 'does she know this person?'_

"You know it's rude not to use the front door, right?" said Yoruichi as she raised an index finger at the demon, "Hado number four: Byakurai!"

Tara, Willow and Dawn looked on as what looked like a lightning bolt shot out from Yoruichi's finger and went through the demon. Everyone on the store heard the demon scream out before it fell onto the floor as if it was dead.

"Umm….." said Yoruichi to herself, "that was easy."

"Oh well" said Yoruichi as she turned at looked at the people who were slowly coming back onto their feet with Willow and Tara helping Buffy up, "So, which one of you can see me?"

Yoruichi smiled as everyone, including Buffy, had their hands up while still in shock.

'_Ichigo, Ichigo'_ thought Yoruichi to herself, _'your reiatsu's done it again.'_

"Hey kiddo" said Yoruichi as she ruffled Dawn's hair, "you alright?"

"Yea…. Yeah" said Dawn, still in shock.

"Who are you?" asked Buffy.

"Oh" said Yoruichi, "just a friend."

"A friend?" said Xander.

"Oh" said Anya who slowly rose up from behind the counter and stared at Yoruichi, "You are…"

"Oh" said Yoruichi excitedly as she shook hands with Anya, "the ex-demon, nice to meet you."

Yoruichi then leaned into Anya and whispered into her ear, "Both of us know that Ichigo wants to keep Shinigami or Soul Reapers a secret for the moment, so you better come up with a good story or I'll come by your house as a cat and scratch the living daylights out of you. Understood?"

"Ummm…. umm…" said Anya nervously, "I… I…. guess?"

"And you" said Yoruichi as she shunpo'd in front of Buffy, "must be the Slayer, heard about you people. Never thought I would meet one though. Anyway, I'm kinda hungry right now. You guys got food in this place? I haven't had dinner yet, you see."

"Huh?" said Buffy confused.

"Come on now" said Yoruichi as everyone heard her stomach growl.

"Pizza?" said Tara as everyone started to stare at her, "I… I… mean its delivery."

"Great" said Yoruichi smiling at the blonde witch, "could you be a dear and order forty large boxes or something?"

"What?" said Buffy as she finally came to her senses and stood in between her and Tara, "how can you be talking about food at a time like this? And you never explained who you are?"

"Like I said" replied Yoruichi as she walked to the demon lying on the floor at the front of the store, "I'm a friend."

"Name" said Buffy.

"Later" replied Yoruichi as she turned around and faced Dawn.

"Hey…" said Yoruichi when she suddenly noticed Dawn's eyes widening in fear, "oh crap."

Buffy and the others looked on as Yoruichi turned around only to be flung hard into the shelves at the back of the counter. They saw the demon, that had a hole through its midsection, scream out loud before it took one last look at Dawn and slithered out of the shop.

"Giles" said Buffy as she ran out the door, "look after Dawn, I need to get to it before it returns to Glory."

"Go" said Giles as he and the others backed away with Dawn from the fallen Yoruichi who was slowly getting up.

"Son of a…." said Yoruichi as she slowly got up from under some of the shelves that had crashed onto her and smoothed out her clothes.

"Oh God!" shouted Yoruichi as she noticed a yellow stain on a small white segment of her clothes before looking at Anya, "don't tell me that's Yeti urine?"

"Uh huh" said Anya as she nodded her head.

"You know how hard it is to get rid of that stain?!" said Yoruichi just as she noticed the cobra demon and Buffy missing.

"Which way did they go?" said Yoruichi as her eyes narrowed.

"Now…. Now…. See here" said Giles.

"Which way?" said Yoruichi as her voice became serious.

"Outside and to the left" said Tara as she looked at Yoruichi.

"Thanks" said Yoruichi with a smile, "and I do expect my pizza's, I know someone who'll reimburse you for it."

"But…" said Tara.

"Don't worry" said Yoruichi smiling before she turned around and shunpo'd out of the store, "he's loaded, just give him the bill."

"Umm… ok" said Tara as Yoruichi left and Willow stared at her.

"Tara?" said Willow confused, "do you know who she is?"

"No" said Tara as walked towards the phone at the counter.

"What are you doing?" asked Xander.

"Ordering the pizza's" said Tara as she shrugged her shoulders.

**Five minutes away from Glory's apartment.**

"Ichigo" said Yoruichi as she called Ichigo using her phone, "I found the snake demon thing, I'm going after it."

"Kinda busy right now. Four Hollows." said Ichigo, "Can you handle it?"

"You're kidding right?" said Yoruichi with a grin.

"Hah!" said Ichigo as he used Zangetsu to block an attack from one of the Hollows he was facing.

"I'll call you after I'm done" said Yoruichi.

"Alright" said Ichigo as he blocked another attack before he slashed the Hollow with Zangetsu, purifying it.

"Now where is that bastard" said Yoruichi to herself as she shunpo'd across the rooftops when she finally saw something slithering away between some alleys, "there you are."

Yoruichi shunpo'd all the way to the snake demon and even passed Buffy who was running at full speed.

'_She's fast'_ thought Yoruichi to herself, _'she'll possibly make a fine Shinigami one day.'_

The snake had slithered through different alleyways aware that it was being chased by two beings of power. As it made another turn, it suddenly stopped and stared at the purpled haired woman that was standing with her arms crossed across her chest, it recognized her as the one who shot a lightning bolt through it.

"You're rude" said Yoruichi as she stared at the cobra demon as it straightened up and opened its arms wide in a bid to show an increased size.

Yoruichi shunpo'd right up to it and delivered a punch that made it fly backwards into the side of a building.

"You hit me when I wasn't looking, it wasn't very gentlemanly" said Yoruichi as she shunpo'd again right up to the snake as it fell down onto the roadside and tried to slither away again. She grabbed the tail end of the demon and flung it against the wall of a building before smashing it down onto the road itself, making a few cracks in the process.

Yoruichi then stood over the demon and launched a few high speed punches onto it until it stopped moving.

"Who are you?" said Buffy as she walked up behind Yoruichi while she witnessed the high speed flurry of punches she gave the demon.

"I told you" said Yoruichi as she glanced back at the Slayer while she slammed her foot down onto one of the demon's arms and broke the bones, "I'm a friend."

"Is it dead?" asked Buffy as she noticed a heavy chain in one of the alleys and went to pick it up.

"No" replied Yoruichi, "it's still breathing, it's a tough bastard. Must be one hell of a demon."

"Yea" said Buffy as she walked towards Yoruichi whose back was still to her.

"You want to finish this off? I need to get some food" said Yoruichi, "I'm starving."

"I got this" said Buffy as she spun the chain around.

"Beat it to your heart's content" said Yoruichi as she started to walk away from Buffy.

"Will I see you again?" asked Buffy as she stood over the snake demon.

"I'm guessing you will" said Yoruichi as she shunpo'd away.

'_Who was she?'_ thought Buffy to herself, then she looked down at the snake demon with eyes full of fury.

Yoruichi landed on a nearby rooftop and looked on as Buffy released all her anger at the demon by repeatedly hitting it with the heavy chain that she had picked up. Yoruichi smiled as her hits widened the cracks on the road she had caused before when she smashed the demon onto the road.

"Ichigo" said Yoruichi, "the cobra demon thing has bee killed."

"That's good news" said Ichigo as he purified the last Hollow he was facing.

"I'll be going back to the shop to get some food" said Yoruichi, "take care of the bill will you."

"Huh?" said Ichigo confused, "wait what? Yoruichi-san, what did you do? I already got you the burgers."

"I'm hungry" smiled Yoruichi as she headed back to the Magic Box, "be a dear and pay Tara back will you, she's such a nice girl. Kind of like Inoue but a bit different at the same time."

"What the hell?" said Ichigo, "What did you order?"

"See ya later, I'll meet you in your dorm room" said Yoruichi grinning to herself as she disconnected the call.

"Yoruichi-san?" said Ichigo, "Hey, Yoruichi-san?"

'_Great'_ thought Ichigo to himself as he headed back to his dorm room, _'that woman is going to make me broke.' _

TBC.


	18. The Arrival

**Magic Box, the same night, 11:30pm.**

"Tara" said Willow as she sat beside the blonde haired woman after the events of that night, "are you all right?"

"Yes" replied Tara as she smiled at Willow and then looked at Dawn.

"Dawnie?" said Tara as she noticed the younger Summers girl looking off into space, "you alright?"

"Yea" said Dawn as she looked at the two girls confused, "why did that snake thing come into the store? And who was that lady?"

"I told you" said a familiar voice from behind as Tara, Dawn, and Willow along With Xander, Giles and Anya hurried to the front of the store where Yoruichi had just shunpo'd in, "I'm a friend."

She then walked towards Dawn and crouched down in front of her, "You doing alright kiddo?"

"Ye… yeah" said Dawn as she felt Yoruichi ruffle her hair again.

"Good" said Yoruichi as she stood and looked at Tara.

"Umm.. where's my pizza?" asked Yoruichi confused.

"Sorry" said Tara sheepishly, "they said they don't deliver after eleven."

"Aw.. darn it" said a smiling Yoruichi, "It's ok, I've got burgers waiting for me back home."

'_Soul Society has burgers?'_ thought Tara to herself.

"Ahem" coughed Giles in order to get Yoruichi's attention, "Miss, where is Buffy?"

"Oh" said Yoruichi, "she's finishing off that snake demon thing. I suggest leaving her alone for a while; she's taking out her anger on that thing."

"Anyway" said Yoruichi as she turned to leave, "I got to go and eat, see you guys later."

"Wait" said Willow as Yoruichi turned around again to face the red head, "what was that magic you did? The one with the lightning bolt that you shot through the snake demon."

Yoruichi looked at both Tara and Willow as she sensed their reiatsu. She knew that their own reiatsu, mixed with the constantly leaking reiatsu from Ichigo, had the possibility of making the two witches in front of her the most powerful in the living world. But from Tara, she sensed a calm serenity within her reiatsu while Willow, who seemed to be more powerful, had a more chaotic reiatsu.

"Listen to me very carefully" said Yoruichi as she stepped towards Willow, "you are not yet ready for that spell, it's extremely advanced and powerful. If not controlled properly, it has the potential to be deadly not only to you but to the others around you."

"But….." said Willow before Yoruichi interrupted her and gently put her hand on her shoulders.

"You are a very powerful witch" said Yoruichi as she looked at Willow, "but at the moment, you lack the focus to try that spell. In time, you'll be able to perform it. But for now, you should gain more experience and control over your current abilities."

"But…" said Willow again.

Yoruichi could only sigh as she glanced over at Tara before stepping back.

"Go slow kiddo, at least that's my advise" said Yoruichi as she looked at Willow before she shunpo'd out of the Magic Box.

"Willow" said Tara as she looked at the red head.

"Tara" said Willow as she looked at the blonde, "do you know who that woman was?"

"No" said Tara as she stepped back a bit, "what would make you think I know her?"

"When she first came into the store after the demon" said Willow, "you seemed to recognize her."

"Maybe she has one of those faces" said Anya who happened to hear the both of them talking.

"Yea" said Tara as she silently thanked Anya for the save, "may…. maybe I've seen her face somewhere before?"

"Tara" said Willow, "you can be honest with me, you know that."

"I really don't know her" said Tara as Willow nodded and turned back and walked towards the front of the store to help Giles and the others clean up.

'_I'm sorry Willow'_ thought Tara to herself, _'please forgive me for lying to you.'_

"Hold up Giles" said Willow as Tara looked up, "I have a spell that could pick up all the pieces of glass on the floor."

"It's quite all right" said Giles as he took off his jacket and grabbed a broom.

"No seriously" said Willow as she grabbed one of the many spell books in the store, "there's a spell here that can actually do it; you know like Mickey did in Fantasia?"

"Yes" said Giles as he started to sweep the floor, "and remember how that turned out for Mickey?"

"I'll help you" said Tara as she grabbed another broom and helped Giles sweep up the glass from the floor.

"You guys are no fun" said Willow as she went to help Xander and Anya who were behind the counter in collecting some of the unbroken jars of weird items.

As Tara was sweeping the glass away from the store front, she had a feeling that she was being watched. Making sure that the others couldn't see her, she looked at the roof of the adjacent shop and noticed Ichigo watching over them. Tara smiled and gave a small nod before she saw Ichigo shunpo away.

**U.C. Sunnydale Dorms, four hours later.**

"So she performed Shakkaho with no training?" asked Yoruichi amazed as she finished all the burgers while Ichigo was telling her what Tara had done in Soul Society.

"Yea" said Ichigo, "the looks on Byakuya and Toshiro were just funny as hell."

"I bet" said Yoruichi laughing, "the look on little Byakuya's face would have been priceless."

"She certainly takes after her mother" said Ichigo.

"Do I sense a little crush?" said Yoruichi with a grin.

"Shut up" said Ichigo as his face turned red, "she already has someone."

"Ah Ichigo" said Yoruichi as she put an arm around his shoulders, "you'll forever be a boy."

"Oh shut up and finish eating" said Ichigo.

"Oh all right" said Yoruichi after she was done with her last burger, "I better get back to Buffy's home, they should be back soon I guess."

"Yoruichi-san" said Ichigo as he opened his window, "thanks for protecting Tara and the others."

"See" said Yoruichi in her cat form as she jumped on the window sill, "you have a crush."

"Oh get out!" said Ichigo as he literally kicked Yoruichi's cat form out off the window sill as she landed on the stairs below laughing.

Just as he closed the window, Ichigo heard a knock on his door.

"Who could that be at this late hour?" said Ichigo as he looked at his desk clock and saw that it was already three thirty in the morning.

Ichigo opened the door and was surprised to see Tara standing nervously outside in the hallway.

"Tara?" said Ichigo, "what are you doing here?"

"Can I come in?" asked Tara as Ichigo nodded and stepped aside.

"Thank you" said Tara as she sat on Ichigo's bed while he closed the door.

"For what?" asked Ichigo as he grabbed a chair and sat down at his desk.

"For asking Yoruichi to watch over us?" said Tara.

"It was nothing" said Ichigo as he ran his hand through his hair, "that's why Urahara and Ukitake-san sent Yoruichi-san over, to watch over you guys in case I was busy with the hollows."

"Where you fighting Hollows?" asked Tara, "is that why you weren't there when the snake demon crashed into the store?"

"Yes" said Ichigo, "I'm sorry but those hollows were chasing the soul of a little girl. I had to beat them and then conduct a soul burial on the girl so that she'd move on to Soul Society."

"I understand" said Tara as she seemed to be fidgeting nervously.

"Tara?" said Ichigo, "don't take this the wrong way, but what are you doing here so early in the morning? I mean, shouldn't you be with Willow now?"

"I should" said Tara as she quickly got up and headed to the door, "I'm sorry to have bothered you, I'll go."

"Tara" said Ichigo as he got up and grabbed Tara's hand softly, "You being here is no bother; is everything alright?"

"Can you take me flying?" asked Tara suddenly.

"Huh?" asked Ichigo.

"Please?" said Tara as she opened his window, "can you take me up to the sky?"

"But…" said Ichigo who was still confused, "won't it be better if Willow takes you up?"

"Well for one thing" said Tara as she looked up at the stars, "Willow's deep asleep now."

"Tara" said Ichigo.

"Please" said Tara, "it's like this whole place is smothering me and I can't breathe."

"But.." said Ichigo.

"Please" said Tara as she interrupted the orange haired boy.

Ichigo looked at Tara and just knew that she wouldn't stop asking until he gave in to her request.

"Alright" said Ichigo as he took out his substitute shinigami badge.

"What's that?" asked Tara.

"It's a badge that signifies my role as a substitute Shinigami" said Ichigo, "since Kon's at Buffy's place now, I have to use this to move into my spiritual body."

Tara watched as Ichigo pressed the badge against his chest as his spiritual body slipped out of his physical one in a flash of blue light. She looked on as his limp physical body fell back onto the bed while Ichigo carried her to the window.

"You sure about this?" asked Ichigo again.

"Yes" said Tara as she looked at the Substitute Shinigami.

"Alright" said Ichigo as he shunpo'd up high up into the sky.

"It's beautiful from high up" said Tara as she held on to Ichigo's neck while he carried her and looked around.

"Yea" said Ichigo as he looked at Tara and then at the light emanating from the city.

**Karakura Town, One month later.**

"Orihime" said Tatsuki as she helped her best friend clean the plates after having had dinner together, "that was a very unique dish."

"I know" said Inoue smiling, "I knew you'd like it."

"I said it was unique" said Tatsuki as she smiled at Inoue.

"Oh" grinned Inoue.

"So" said Tatsuki, "how are classes going?"

"Alright" said Inoue.

"Met any cute guys?" asked Tatsuki as she nudged Inoue playfully.

"No" said Inoue as she finished up drying the last plate.

"Come on" said Tatsuki, "maybe it's time you started to look around?"

"Nah" said Inoue with a wide smile, "I'm too busy for that, besides I have you and the others to keep me company."

"Still, Orihime" said Tatsuki as she looked at the orange haired girl who was searching for some kind of a desert in her fridge.

"Have you talked to Ichigo lately?" asked Tatsuki.

"Yea" said Inoue, "we talked for a while yesterday."

"How is he?" asked Tatsuki.

"He said he's doing fine" said Inoue, "which probably means he found someone already."

"You don't know that" said Tatsuki as she slammed her fist on top of Inoue's head.

"Ow" said Inoue as she rubbed the spot where Tatsuki hit her, "but I'll be happy if he did though."

"Inoue?" said Tatsuki confused.

"The way I see it" said Inoue, "if he found someone that makes him happy, then I'll be happy for him. If the girl he likes, likes him as much as I do, then I'll be happy for her."

"Even if it makes you upset?" asked Tatsuki.

"How can I be upset if I'm happy?" asked Inoue.

"You're one strange girl, Orihime" said Tatsuki.

"But I'll be happy for him" said Inoue as she looked into space.

Just then, the both of them heard a knock on the door as Inoue was putting the ice cream back into the freezer.

"Tatsuki-chan" said Inoue, "can you get that please?"

"Sure" said Tatsuki as she ran to the door and opened it before stepping back in surprise, "You…"

"Ah, Tatsuki-san" said Urahara, "nice to meet you again."

"Yeah, yeah" said Tatsuki, "looking for Orihime?"

"Yes" said Urahara as his face became serious, "It is quite urgent."

"Orihime" said Tatsuki as she looked back at the kitchen, "it's the hat and clogs guy."

"Thank you" said Urahara as Inoue came out from the kitchen and stood next to Tatsuki.

"Urahara-san" said Inoue as she gave the former Captain of the twelfth division a small bow.

"Inoue-san" said Urahara, "I need you to come with me."

"What's going on?" asked Inoue.

"I'll tell you once everyone's assembled at my shop" said Urahara.

"Go" said Tatsuki, "I'll lock up for you before going home."

"Thanks" said Inoue as she looked at Tatsuki and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"What was that for?" asked Tatsuki as her face turned red.

"For always being there for me" said Inoue as Urahara held on to her and shunpo'd all the way to his store.

'_Like I said'_ thought Tatsuki to herself, _'you are one strange girl, Inoue.'_

**The Urahara Shop**

Urahara had shunpo'd all the way down to the huge cavern that was under the store where he trained Ichigo once the orange haired boy had regained his Shinigami powers after losing them in the first fight against Byakuya.

"Inoue-san" said Ishida as Urahara landed with Inoue.

"Ishida-kun, Sado-kun" said Inoue excitedly.

"Inoue" said Sado as he smiled at the orange haired girl before him.

"What are we all doing here?" asked Inoue as she looked at Urahara.

"You will all be going through the Spirit Exchanger there and meet up with the task force in Soul Society" said Urahara.

"What Taskforce?" asked Ishida, "you still haven't told us what's going on."

"There's an urgent emergency in Sunnydale" said Urahara as he glanced at a worried Inoue.

"Kurosaki-kun?" said Inoue.

"He's alright" said Urahara, "but he and Rukia-san faced off something there that was extremely powerful. Soul Society and I have been spending all this time searching for its weaknesses and strengths, and just now I was contacted by the Thirteenth division's Captain Ukitake that they have found information about this being."

"I see" said Ishida.

"Don't worry" said Urahara, "Rukia-san and Abarai will meet you at the other end and brief you on what's going on. From there, you'll be going to Sunnydale to protect it and defeat this Glory."

"Glory?" said Sado.

"Yes" said Urahara, "that what she calls herself."

"Anything else we need to know?" asked Ishida as he walked towards the Spirit Exchanger alongside Sado and Inoue.

"Yes" said Urahara as his voice suddenly became serious, "she is a god of Hell."

"Oh" said Ishida in mild surprise, "but we know her weaknesses?"

"Yes" said Urahara, "Soul Society won't be mobilizing a task force if we weren't ready."

"I see" said Inoue.

"Alright" said Sado, "let's go then."

"Good luck" said Urahara as the three of then jumped into the Spirit Exchanger and ran as fast as they could to the other side.

**U.C. Sunnydale Dorms, 10:00am**

"You know" said Willow as she and Tara exited her room, "having the Watcher's Council here is going to be one hell of a headache, especially for Buffy."

"Are they really that bad?" asked Tara, "I mean I know what you guys said about them in last night's meeting at Buffy's house, but still."

"They are that bad" said Willow, "remind me to tell you the story of what they did to Buffy."

"Ok" said Tara as she closed Willow's door when they heard the elevator doors open in the distance and the sound of a large group of people talking drifted through the air.

"That's a very eclectic group" said Willow as she looked at the people walking towards then.

"Who are you…" said Tara as she looked up and was surprised, "talking about."

Tara looked on in surprise as a large group of people with faces she knew and some she didn't was walking down the hallway led by a white haired child.

'_That's Captain Hitsugaya, Renji and Rukia_' thought Tara to herself, _'but I don't recognize the others though.'_

"Whoa" said Willow as she turned and looked at the two women who were with the group as they walked past them with the dark haired woman and the red haired man smiled and nodded at them.

"Did you just say 'whoa'? asked Tara with a smile.

"Huh?" said Willow as she stared at the orange haired girl who was wearing a pink dress and the other taller woman who was wearing what looked like a very skimpy school girls uniform.

"Well" said Tara as she looked at Willow, "there's something you don't see every day."

"Huh?" said Willow with her mouth open and a bit of drool coming out the side.

"Yeah" said Tara smiling as they headed towards the elevator at the end of the hall.

Once the elevator arrived and the doors opened, Tara and Willow walked in and turned around only to see the group knocking on Ichigo's door.

"Wow" said Willow, "that Ichigo has a lot of friends, but maybe that white haired kid was just too young. Don't you think?"

"Maybe he's a younger relative" said Tara as she watched Ichigo open the door and let everyone in. The both of them saw each other just as the elevator doors closed and Ichigo gave a small smile.

'_I guess Soul Society knows something now'_ thought Tara to herself, _'maybe there's a chance we could beat this Glory, whoever or whatever she is.'_


	19. Tara's Seal and the Discovery

**U.C. Sunnydale Dorms, Ichigo's Room, 10:00am.**

"Damn it" said Ichigo to himself as he just woke up and sat up on his bed. He spent a few seconds just looking at the wall in front of him as he thought about the events of the last month.

"What am I doing?" said Ichigo to himself as he stood up, stretched his arms a bit before opening his window and looking at the bright Sunnydale sky. He knew that he was getting much closer to Tara than he intended, especially since she had wanted to know more about him, his powers and even took a steady interest in his wellbeing, especially after fighting off Hollows.

Ichigo also knew that Willow was getting slightly jealous of the close friendship between the both of them but she herself was busy in trying to come up with ways to protect them from Glory with Tara's help. He dreaded the day that Willow would confront him and, at worst, tell him to stay away from Tara.

'_How do I say 'no' to a pissed off and powerful witch'_ thought Ichigo to himself, '_but I'm in the wrong though for caring about Tara, aren't I?'_

Just then Ichigo heard a knock on his door and he got out of his daze and opened it.

"Kurosaki" said Captain Hitsugaya calmly as he played around with a cell phone.

"Toshiro!" said Ichigo in surprise.

"I'm Captain Hitsugaya to you" said the white haired Captain calmly as he walked into Ichigo's room just as Ichigo stepped outside to let everyone in.

Just as he stepped outside, Ichigo saw Tara looking at him while Willow was talking to her as the elevator doors closed. Just before the doors closed, Ichigo gave Tara a small smile before she returned to looking at Willow.

"Kurosaki-kun" said Inoue as she stood in front of him smiling.

"Inoue" said Ichigo with a smile as he gave her a tight hug, "how are you?"

"I'm great" said Inoue as she got out of the hug, "couldn't be better."

"I'm glad" said Ichigo as she stared at the closed doors of the elevator.

"Ichigo?" said Rukia as she passed him, "you alright?"

"Yea" said Ichigo as he entered his room and closed the door.

Once he closed the door, he looked at the people in his room; Inoue and Matsumoto were sitting on his bed, Hitsugaya had got up on the window sill and just sat there, Sado and Ishida were looking at him while standing at one corner of the room, and Renji was standing beside him with Rukia.

"So" said Ichigo, "I take it that Soul Society found something?"

"Yes" said Renji, "they sent us as the taskforce to deal with this Glory person."

"So she has a weakness?" asked Ichigo.

"Yes" said Hitsugaya as he looked out at the sun covered city.

"This is going to take some time, Kurosaki" said Ishida as Sado and the others nodded their heads, "You better sit down for this."

"Alright" said Ichigo as Matsumoto and Inoue made space between them for Ichigo to sit down.

**The Summers Residence, at that same time.**

Yoruichi in her cat form was drinking some milk when she sensed a collection of reiatsu in the distance. She walked towards the living room and climbed the couch as she looked out the window.

"You sense that too, don't you" asked Kon.

"Yes" said Yoruichi quietly, "Soul Society sent help."

"Meaning they've found something?" said Kon who was lying on the couch after Dawn had left him there before going for school.

"Probably" said Yoruichi.

Just then Yoruichi turned her head to see Joyce Summers walk down the stairs wearing a shawl over her head after her recent surgery to get rid of the tumour.

"Hey there, Kitty" said Joyce smiling as she picked up Yoruichi's cat form and sat down on the couch. She laid Yoruichi on her lap as she turned on the television and watched a rerun of Passions.

'_Oh No'_ thought Yoruichi to herself, _'not this again, please anything but this.'_

"You like Passions don't you, Kitty?" said Joyce as she petted Yoruichi, "you like watching this with me. I mean there's really no one here now. I'm doing well so Buffy's finally out and about, Dawn's gone to school, Ichigo visits and helps out around the house still even though he doesn't really have to, Willow and Tara come by to visit Buffy when she's at home. I'm happy that everything's becoming normal again."

'_Sorry Joyce but things may be taking a turn for the worse very soon'_ thought Yoruichi to herself, _'but don't worry, I know Soul Society will have a plan in place to get you and Dawn out of the line of fire.'_

"You know what?" said Joyce as she picked up Yoruichi and looked at her face to face, "maybe I should try and bring Ichigo and Buffy together. What do you think?"

'_Huh?'_ thought Yoruichi.

"See" said Joyce with a smile as she put Yoruichi back down onto her lap, "I knew you'd agree. She needs someone normal in her life, no more vampires or soldiers. Just a normal boy, who likes normal things."

'_Wait, the vampire Slayer dated a vampire?' _thought Yoruichi to herself as she tried not to chuckle, _'and trust me lady, Ichigo's far away from being normal.'_

**U.C. Sunnydale Dorms, 01:00pm**

"Alright" said Ichigo as he stood up from his bed after having heard everything and walked to his desk, "this is going to be big, isn't it?"

"Yes" said the Captain, "you have a relationship with the Slayer…."

"Not that kind of a relationship" said Ichigo as he turned around and glared at Hitsugaya.

"I meant that the both of you know each other and are close" said the Captain.

"Oh" said Ichigo as he noticed Inoue and Matsumoto trying not to laugh, "yeah, we're good friends."

"You need to tell her" said Hitsugaya, "she needs to know all the information about Glory and the plan Soul Society's come up with for her family."

"I know" said Ichigo.

"Take Kuchiki and Orihime with you" said the Captain.

"How about the rest of you?" said Ichigo as he suddenly came to a realization, "wait a minute, where are all of you going to be staying? And no, you can't stay here."

"Take it easy" said Renji, "Soul Society sprung for a few rooms at the local hotel under a dummy corporation in the world of the living."

"Yes" said Ishida as he walked towards the door, "anyway, as the time comes to use the Key, Hollow activity will increase at an accelerated pace."

"How about the demonic activity?" asked Ichigo, "we are over a Hellmouth after all."

"The Research division thinks that the demonic activity will spike as well" said the Captain, "but that's the responsibility of the Slayer. Our responsibility is to clear the area of the excess Hollow's who will, no doubt, want in on the action as the time to use the Key gets closer and closer."

"The well being of the Slayer has been deemed as secondary to the protection of the Key and the elimination of Glory" said Rukia.

"But.." said Ichigo as Hitsugaya interrupted him.

"Do you have confidence in the Slayer's abilities?" the white haired Captain asked.

"Yes" said Ichigo, "but…."

"You should trust in her more" said Hitsugaya as he looked outside, "the Slayer line was specifically created, although against the wishes of the Soul Society, for the task of eliminating demonic threats."

"I know" said Ichigo, "that's what Urahara told me."

"Plus she has her friends" said Renji, "they'll provide back up for her."

"And" said Matsumoto as she got up from Ichigo's bed, "if we happen to be in the same area and not engaged with a Hollow, we'll help out."

"Alright" said Ichigo as everyone started to head back out the door.

"We'll be at the hotel, Kurosaki" said Hitsugaya as Ichigo nodded, "remember, talk to the Slayer and tell her of the plan."

"You're not coming?" said Ichigo.

"She's your friend" said the Captain, "she'll trust the information if it comes from you."

"After this" said Ichigo, "I don't think they'll trust me at all."

"I realize why you never told them" said the Captain, "and you were correct not to. Without having any information on Glory's motivations, her strengths and weaknesses, it would have been useless."

"At least the witch trusts you" said Renji.

"Witch?" asked Inoue, "what witch?"

"Ichigo became good friends with a witch" said Rukia as Inoue looked at him, "he took her to Soul Society for her birthday to meet her mother. All the Captains were saying that she would become a powerful kido specialist."

"Oh" replied Inoue in surprise.

"Let's go" said Captain Hitsugaya as he led everyone except for Rukia and Inoue out the door.

"See ya" said Ichigo as he stepped out and watched the group leave before he went back into the room.

"Hey" said Ichigo as he looked at Inoue, "where's Rukia?"

Ichigo looked on as Inoue smiled and pointed at the closet.

"Damn it, Rukia!" said Ichigo as he opened the closet door, "you're not staying in the closet again. This isn't my room in Karakura."

"Come on" said Rukia as she lay down on the floor, "it's much more comfortable than your previous one, much larger too."

"Oh for goodness sake" said Ichigo as he closed the closet doors and turned to face Inoue.

"So" said Inoue nervously.

"So" replied Ichigo as he looked at Inoue, "look, it was her birthday so…."

"You don't have to explain, Kurosaki-kun" said Inoue smiling, "I'm glad you found someone."

"But…." Said Ichigo.

"Is there a good place to eat nearby?" asked Inoue as her stomach growled.

"Yeah" said Ichigo as he opened his door and Inoue walked out and waited for him in the hallway, "Rukia, you coming or what?"

"To eat?" said Rukia as she peeked out of the closet door before leaving it behind, "yeah. I'm there."

Once Rukia and Inoue had left the room, Ichigo closed the door and walked towards the elevator.

As he was going to press the call button for the elevator, an elevator car just arrived on his floor and the doors opened. The group of Ichigo, Rukia and Inoue stepped back as Willow, Tara and two other people he had never seen before, a man and a woman, left the elevator.

"Ich…. Ichigo" said Tara as she looked at the orange haired boy, Rukia and Inoue.

"Tara, Willow" said Ichigo, "these are my friends from Karakura Town, Rukia Kuchiki and Orihime Inoue."

"Nice you meet you both" said Inoue as she gave them a little bow.

"N… nice to me… meet you" said Tara as she glanced at Ichigo below shaking Rukia's and Inoue's hands.

"Weren't you at Tara's birthday party?" asked Willow as she shook hands with Rukia.

"Yeah" said Rukia as she scratched her head, "I was there to talk to Ichigo about something."

"Oh" said Willow as she turned to Inoue, "Hi."

"Nice to meet you" said Inoue, "we're getting something to eat, would you like to join us?"

"Ahem" said the man who was standing behind them.

"Sorry" said Willow, "these guys wanted to check out our rooms, they're…. ummm… my cousins…. You know….. from out of town."

"Ah" said Ichigo as he nodded his head.

"Anyway" said Willow as she looked at Inoue, "we'd better get going, see you guys later?"

"Bye" said Inoue with a smile.

"S… See you, Ichigo" said Tara as she looked at Ichigo before walking away with Willow and the other two individuals.

"Ummm…." said Ichigo, "Do you guys know where Buffy would be now?"

"I think she's still at the Magic Box" replied Willow.

"Yes" said Tara.

"Alright thanks" smiled Ichigo, "well, I guess I'll see you ladies later then."

"Yeah" said Tara, "see you."

"Bye" said Willow as she waved at the small group before walking back to her room.

'_Nice'_ thought Willow to herself as she glanced back at Inoue, _'that Ichigo's one lucky guy.'_

As they were walking away, Ichigo pressed the call button again. While his and Rukia's backs were turned away from Tara and Willow, Inoue noticed that Tara had taken a quick look back before noticing that Inoue was looking at her and smiled. Tara then quickly looked back in front of her and walked into Willow's room where the two people from the Watchers Council were set to question them about Buffy's slaying abilities.

'_She likes you Kurosaki-Kun'_ thought Inoue to herself as she entered the elevator with Ichigo and Rukia, _'Do you know that she likes you? Do you like her?'_

**Willow's Room, 3:00pm.**

"Hey" said Willow as she lay down with Tara on her bed, "everything alright?"

"Huh?" replied Tara, "Yea, why?"

"It's just that you seemed a bit distracted lately" said Willow as she looked at Tara.

"Oh" said Tara.

"Something wrong?" asked Willow.

"No" said Tara as she waved her hands, "nothing's wrong."

Willow looked at Tara and noticed that she was avoiding her eyes.

"Tara" said Willow as she sat up, "are you and Ichigo… you know."

"Wait, where's this coming from?" asked Tara.

"It's just that you've been spending a lot of time with him" said Willow.

"Doesn't mean anything" said Tara.

"I've also noticed that since you've been hanging around with him, I haven't heard you stammer even once" said Willow.

"And that's a bad thing?" asked Tara.

"No" said Willow, "what I mean is….."

"Hey" said Tara as she put a hand on her cheek, "who said that I didn't stop stammering when I'm with you."

"But…"

"Do you want me to stop hanging out with him?" asked Tara.

"No" said Willow, "I'd never ask you to do that."

'_Although I'd ask him'_ thought Willow to herself.

"Who could that be?" asked Willow as she was brought out of her own thoughts by a knock on the door.

Willow quickly got out of bed and walked over to the door, opening it.

"Good afternoon" said a shaggy blonde haired man wearing a T-shirt, slacks and sandals, carrying a cane.

"Yes?" asked Willow as she stared at the strange man.

"My name is Kisuke Urahara, and I'm looking for a Miss Tara Maclay" said Urahara.

"Tara?" said Willow, "yea she's right here."

"Ummm… hello?" said Tara as she stood next to Willow and stared at Urahara.

"Hello" said Urahara with a bow, "I'm Kisuke Urahara from the Helen School of Art, we've heard that you're interested in attending our fine institution. So I was sent here to conduct an interview."

"Oh" said Tara as she recognized Urahara's name, "please come in."

"Actually" said Urahara, "I would like to interview you while taking a walk."

"Sure" said Tara excitedly.

"Tara?" said Willow confused at why Tara was so excited.

"I'll be right back" said Tara as she gave Willow a peck on her cheek.

"Sure" replied Willow as she stood confused as she closed the door.

"Miss Maclay" said Urahara as he and Tara entered the elevator.

"Please, call me Tara"

"Very well" replied Urahara.

"Ichigo's told me a lot of things about you" said Tara as they exited the elevator at the lobby of the dorm.

"Oh?" replied Urahara, "don't believe everything you hear."

"Even the good ones?" she asked laughing.

"Especially the good ones" said Urahara as the both of them walked out of the dorms and into the Sunnydale light.

"Oh" said Tara.

"Tara, when Kurosaki-san saved you from that Hollow all those months ago, did you happen to notice anything strange?" asked Urahara.

"Other than the Hollow mask you mean?" asked Tara.

"Yes" said Urahara.

"He never told me the story" said Tara as she suddenly came to a realization.

"Of?"

"How he got his Hollow mask" said Tara.

"I see" replied Urahara as he stopped and faced Tara, "I'm afraid you'd have to ask Kurosaki-san about that."

"Yeah" said Tara, "I thought you'd say that."

"You're a tricky one I see" said Urahara, "now, as I was asking earlier, have you noticed anything strange when Kurosaki-san was saving you from that Hollow?"

"Now that you mention it" said Tara as she thought back to that incident, "he looked like he was tired, like he just ran a marathon and was out of breath."

"Kurosaki-san's reiatsu, although unfocused and chaotic, is more than any Captain in Soul Society" said Urahara, "I believe that maybe Captain Zaraki come even close."

"Wow" exclaimed Tara, "he's that powerful?"

"If he ever learns to focus and control his reiatsu?" said Urahara, "Yes, but as I said, he can't control it which is why he leaks reiatsu everywhere he goes. It's the same reason that people who even have the slightest bit of spiritual pressure can eventually see him."

"I see" said Tara.

"As for yourself" said Urahara as he sat down on a bench with Tara seated right next to him, "your reiatsu is calm, serene and focused as if you aren't even trying. But at the same time it's as powerful as any Captain in Soul Society. I've heard about your mother from some of my contacts there, many have said that she has the potential to go as high as Captain, if she so wishes that is. I suspect you'd be the same as well."

"Tha…. That's high praise" said Tara, "I d…. don't know what to say."

"It's the truth" said Urahara, "your roommate, however, is your opposite. Her reiatsu is chaotic and unfocused, although just as powerful as any Captain in Soul Society. She too has the potential to be a Captain once she comes to Soul Society."

"That's good right?" asked Tara.

"Yes" said Urahara, "but I digress. The reason I came to talk to you is about Kurosaki-san."

"Ok" said Tara as she nodded her head.

"As I said, his reiatsu and your reiatsu are complete opposites" said Urahara, "and, although this has been occurring without your knowledge, you have siphoning his reiatsu at such a great level that he found it hard to beat a simple Hollow without his mask."

"What?" exclaimed Tara, "I.. I never meant for that to happen."

"I know" said Urahara calmly, "you see the closer you are in proximity to him, the more reiatsu you take and thus, the weaker he gets when he exerts himself. The fact that he managed to kill two Hollows without engaging his Hollow mask when he had left after saving you, further supported my theory that you were unintentionally siphoning his reiatsu. And now, he needs all his power to help beat Glory."

"So I'll leave town" said Tara, "I'll go far away from him."

"No, no" laughed Urahara, "you don't have to do that. You see I had a theory of what was going on after Kurosaki-san told me about it. So when Rukia-san visited him in the world of the living during their first fight with Glory, and then during your birthday party, she helped me collect data on the energy transfer using a device of my own design. I then used the data collected to come up with a solution. Pretty ingenious, if I do say so myself."

"Oh" said Tara.

"My theory of the reiatsu siphoning was pretty much confirmed when you came to Soul Society" said Urahara, "I analysed the residual energy after you fired the massive Shakkaho, which was very impressive If I may add, and found Kurosaki-san's reiatsu signature mixed in with your own."

"I should apologize to Ichigo" said Tara.

"No need" said Urahara, "He doesn't even need to know."

"But…" said Tara.

"He's a man who would never leave a friend, even if it harms him" said Urahara, "even if you push him away, he'll still come back. If you leave suddenly, he'll come searching for you."

"So what do I do?" asked Tara.

"I used the data collected to create a seal in two different variations, one as a kind of an injection into your reiatsu and another one in a liquid form that I've already introduced into the city's water supply" said Urahara as he opened his palm and Tara saw a blue light mixed with a bit of pink emanating from it, "both versions of the seal will stop the unintentional siphoning of Kurosaki-san's reiatsu but won't prevent you, or any other witches for that matter, from using your own Kido or magic."

"In the water supply?" smirked Tara,

"Yep" smiled Urahara, "the liquid version is harmless, and tasteless but takes about three to four days to completely activate in a body. The one for you, however, is the reiatsu based one since it's more immediate."

"Will it hurt?" asked Tara.

"Maybe a little" said Urahara.

"Do it" said Tara as she surprised herself and Urahara.

"Are you absolutely certain?" asked Urahara, "and wiling?"

"Yes" replied Tara as she held out her hand.

"Very well" said Urahara as he held her palm in his.

Tara felt no pain as Urahara connected his palm with hers, all she felt was a feeling of warmth that travelled up her hand, then her arm until it enveloped her entire body up to her soul.

"Wow" said Tara as she released Urahara's hand, "that was a seal?"

"Yes" said Urahara.

"But you said there would be some pain"

"I lied" smiled Urahara.

"So, what happens now?" asked Tara.

"I'm afraid the reiatsu you absorbed from Kurosaki-san will always be with you now" said Urahara, "eventually it will mix with your own calm reiatsu, maybe even make it more powerful in the process."

"I meant with Ichigo" smiled Tara.

"Oh" said Urahara, "well, his reiatsu will regenerate itself and he should be back to full power in a few days."

"I see" replied Tara, "I'm glad."

"Well" said Urahara as he stood up, "I should be off now, I need to get back to my store in Karakura."

"Oh" said Tara as she too stood up, "thank you for helping Ichigo, I swear I had no idea."

"I should warn you that reiatsu are like living things" said Urahara, "they protect the people it surrounds, they can even attack when ordered to, and they even hold the memories of the person they belong to; so don't be surprised if you have dreams of Kurosaki-san's battles or events in his life."

"Ok" said Tara.

"Goodbye Tara" said Urahara as he turned around and walked away.

Tara then looked at her palm before smiling and walking back to Willow's room.

**Somewhere above Sunnydale, 5:00pm.**

Captain Hitsugaya had just finished off two Hollows when he looked behind and saw Yoruichi standing with her arms crossed on her chest.

"Yo" said Yoruichi, "what's up, kid?"

"I'm not a kid!" said the Captain angrily as a vein popped out of his head with Yoruichi smiling.

"Yeah, yeah" said Yoruichi as she walked towards him.

"What do you want?" he said as she stood next to him.

"Glory came over to the Slayer's house" said Yoruichi as the Captain looked at her in surprise.

"She didn't harm her or the family" said Yoruichi as she put her hand up which indicated that the Captain should wait for her to finish, "she just wanted information, although she did threaten the family."

"I see" said Hitsugaya, "and I'm assuming she didn't give up her sister?"

"Nope" said Yoruichi, "she loves her sister very much, she would never give her up to Glory."

"Good" said Hitsugaya.

"I guess that the fact that you know who the Key is means that there is a plan in place to protect the family?" asked Yoruichi.

"Emergency approval from the Captain Commander himself" said Hitsugaya.

"I see" said Yoruichi with a smile, "that's good news."

"Yeah" said Hitsugaya as he walked forward before glancing behind him, "I'll go find Matsumoto, she's supposed to be taking over for me now."

"Sure" said Yoruichi as the white haired Captain shunpo'd away, "I guess I'll just quickly check up on Joyce and Dawn at that vampire's crypt."

**Magic Box, 8:00pm.**

Buffy was walking towards the Magic Box after having a tense moment with Glory at her house. It finally hit home to her that whoever it was she was dealing with, had the ability to attack anyone she wished. And although she had already threatened to kill her mother, Dawn and her friends; she still wanted something from Buffy. She was also fully aware that the Watcher's Council wanted something from her as well, especially after all the embarrassing questions they had asked her friends during the so called review.

Buffy was supremely confident that she had done the right thing by leaving her mother and Dawn in the safety of Spike's crypt. Buffy hoped that the last place that Glory would think to look for her family was with a vampire, albeit one that had a chip in his head preventing him from harming humans.

While lost in her thoughts, Buffy never saw the big, armoured thing that had tackled her to the ground from behind a large garbage bin.

"Hey!" said Buffy as the both of them quickly get up. She was slightly surprised to see that the person who had tackled her was someone who looked like one of the Knights of the Round table that Dawn would read about and wearing medieval armour with chain-mail covering the face. The knight backhanded Buffy making her fly into a pile of garbage. As she got back up, two more knights appeared out of the darkness. She then saw the three people take out weapons; the first one that tackled her carried a sword, while the other two had metal staves. They then circled around Buffy, twirling their weapons.

"You're not going to help?" asked Captain Hitsugaya as he shunpo'd right next to Yoruichi as they looked at what was going on below.

"Nah" said Yoruichi as she and Captain Hitsugaya saw Buffy take down the last armour wearing individual.

"Ukitake told me about them" said the Captain, "they call themselves the Knights of Byzantium. Fanatics."

"I see" said Yoruichi as she saw Buffy walk away towards the magic box.

"Where's Kurosaki?" asked Hitsugaya.

"He was having dinner with Inoue and Rukia, they should be done by now" said Yoruichi, "apparently this organization that takes care of the Slayer is conducting some kind of exercise or something that has been lasting the whole day. Ichigo thought it would be better to tell them all at one go instead of telling them one by one."

"I see" said Hitsugaya as he heard the scream of a few Hollows behind them and another few to their left..

"I'll get the one behind us" said Yoruichi, "it's been awhile since I've gone against a Hollow."

"Very well" said Captain Hitsugaya as Yoruichi shunpo'd towards the Hollow behind them, while he headed towards the other ones as he took out Hyorinmaru and got ready for battle.

**Magic Box, 8:15pm**

Tara was looking down from the second floor of the Magic Box along with Willow, Xander and Anya as Buffy was giving the head of the Watcher's Council, Quentin Travers, a lecture on the fact that it was they who needed the services of the Slayer than the other way around.

She and Willow looked at each other and smiled when Buffy had told Travers in no uncertain terms that she had two very powerful witches on her side, including a thousand year old ex-demon and a man who had more field time than all of the Watchers present put together.

"We're great" said Willow and she looked at Tara.

Tara and Willow then lokoed back down as Buffy made her demands to Travers which were accepted with what looked like reluctance before they all heard the front door open as Ichigo, Rukia and Inoue walked in.

"Wow" whispered Xander to himself as he saw Inoue.

"Excuse me?" replied Anya as she gave Xander a death stare.

"Sorry" said Xander as he sheepishly looked at Anya, "you're my baby."

"Better remember it" said Anya as she looked towards the three people who had just come in.

"What is the meaning of this?" said Travers as he stood up in outrage.

"Ichigo" said Buffy confused, "what are you doing here?"

"Yes" said Travers, "this is a private meeting, you are not authorised to be here."

"Actually" said Rukia as she looked at Buffy, "we have some information for the Slayer."

"What. Did. You. Just. Say?" asked Buffy as she walked cautiously towards Rukia.

"We have information for you that's really important" said Ichigo, "its about Glory."

"What?" said Buffy as she looked at Ichigo while the others looked between themselves. Tara and Anya had no choice but to pretend to be shocked, even though they had known this information for some time.

"How do you know that name?" asked Giles as he walked up to stand next to Buffy.

"Rukia and I were there when Buffy was fighting her" said Ichigo as he looked at a shocked Buffy, and we've had our own people do some research."

"There wasn't anyone there" said Buffy confused, "at least no one that I could….. see."

"Buffy?" said Xander as he looked at his friends shocked face as she came to a sudden realization.

"Ichigo" said Buffy as she stepped closer to him with her hands balled up into a fist, "what are you saying?"

"What I'm telling you Buffy, is that I'm a Soul Reaper."

TBC.


	20. The Soul Reapers and the Scoobies

**Magic Box, 8:30pm. The Same night**

"What did you just say?" asked Buffy as she walked up to Ichigo, hands balled into fists.

"I'm a Soul Reaper" said Ichigo quietly as he looked at Buffy before turning back, "so is Rukia."

When Ichigo turned back to face Buffy, he never even saw the punch coming at too great a speed that connected with his jaw, making Ichigo fly back a few feet over the shop counter.

"Buffy!" shouted Giles.

"Kurosaki-kun" said Inoue as she ran behind the counter to help Ichigo who looked up at her dazed.

Quickly Anya, Willow, Xander and Tara ran down the stairs to the main floor and stood next to Buffy as they saw Inoue help a bruised Ichigo stand up.

"You were too slow, Ichigo" said Rukia as she looked at Buffy, "are you done now?"

"So" said Travers, "Shinigami huh? Very interesting, you people are supposed to be a myth. Well, the fact of the matter is that when Rupert came to us about you, we had no information. All we were aware is that Shinigami are spiritual beings, which means that they can be captured and contained just like any spirit."

"Sir" said the man standing next to Travers as the head of the Watchers Council nodded his head.

Giles looked on in surprise as the man took out a crystal of some sort and started chanting a spell, "Quentin, what are you doing?"

"A containment spell, my dear friend" said Travers, "I'm sure your Slayer would agree that we don't know the allegiance of these Shinigami, plus from what you were able to tell me about Miss Summers' first fight with Glory, they have a great deal of power that would be useful to the Watchers Council."

"Stop this foolishness" said Giles, "if they can help against Glory, then we should accept it. Despite whatever motivations they had for not revealing who they really were."

"Buffy" said Willow.

"Tara" said Buffy who had her back to the blonde witch, "did you know?"

"How could she know, Buffy?" said Willow, "none of us knew."

"Tara" said Buffy again as she turned around, "did you know?"

"Does it matter?" asked Xander, "come on Buff."

"It's a matter of trust" said Buffy as she looked at Tara.

"How could she know Buff" said Willow as she looked at Tara, "right Tara? You didn't know right?"

The look that Tara gave Willow already confirmed everything that both Buffy and Willow needed to know.

"You knew?" said Willow.

"Ummmm" said Anya as she held up her hand, "I knew too."

"Anya?" said Buffy as she glared at Ichigo, "Anya knew too?"

"You kept it secret?" asked Xander.

"Yes" said Anya quietly.

"You could have told me" said Xander.

"You would have told Buffy" said Anya, "besides, everyone knows now."

"I asked them not to tell anyone" said Ichigo as he and Inoue walked out from the back of the counter with him rubbing the side of his face.

"You shouldn't really be talking right now" said Buffy as she glared at Ichigo.

Ichigo could see that Buffy was both angry and hurt that such an important secret was kept away from her.

"You're not a Shinigami, are you?" said Travers in surprise.

"Excuse me?" said Ichigo as he looked at Travers.

"Ichigo's a substitute Shinigami" said Rukia as she took a few steps forward but hit an a wall that flared orange which extended all around her, "I see, you erected a barrier."

"Very powerful" said Travers, "the Watchers Council has numerous resources at its disposal."

"Quentin" said Giles.

"Not now, Rupert" said Travers.

"Alright, Miss Summers" said Travers, "I'll give you all the details about Glory, plus your demands. But we'll be taking the Soul Reapers."

"I'm tired of this" said Rukia as she glanced at Ichigo and gave him a shake of her head, indicating to him that he shouldn't get into his spirit form in case the spell got a hold of him too.

"What are you doing?" asked Travers as he saw Rukia reach into her pocket and take out a dispenser.

"You wanted a Shinigami, right?" said Rukia smiling as she popped a soul pill into her mouth and slipped out of her gigai in a flash of blue light to the surprise of everyone present.

"Chappy" said Rukia as she looked at her gigai, "once this barrier is down, I want you to go back to the hotel. Tell Captain Hitsugaya that first contact has been made."

"Yes ma'am" said Chappy in Rukia's gigai.

"That barrier can't be brought down" said Travers smirking, "you'll come with us peacefully."

"Disable this barrier" said Rukia as she reached for her sword, "I wont be held responsible for the damage to this shop if you don't."

"Take down the barrier" said Anya, "she'll hurt the shop."

"Buffy" said Tara, "please, trust them. They're here to help."

"Tara" said Willow, "why didn't you at least tell me?"

"Willow" said Tara, "I'm not as close to Buffy as you, or Xander. So if I told you a secret that Ichigo entrusted me to keep, you would be caught between keeping the secret and your loyalty to your best friend."

"But…" said Willow.

"Mr. Travers" said Buffy, her hands still balled into fists, "bring down the barrier."

"Sorry, Miss Summers" said Travers, "but you really don't get a say in this, we've given you everything you wanted. Now, we'll take our leave"

"Dance" said Rukia as she took out her sword while the others just looked on, with Buffy taking a few steps back, "Sode no Shirayuki."

'_This cold wind'_ thought Buffy to herself as she felt a cold wind blowing at her from nowhere, _'it's the same as that time I was against Glory.'_

Buffy and the others looked on as Rukia took her white sword and held it up before going into a battle stance.

"Get down" said Ichigo as he went behind the counter with Willow, Tara and Inoue while Buffy and the others went behind the book stacks.

"Tsugi no mai, Hakuren" said Rukia as a blast of super cold air came out of the tip of Sode no Shirayuki and hit the barrier which started to instantly freeze.

Once the sound of ice forming was over, everyone came out of hiding only to find a dome of ice in the middle of the shop.

"Well" said Xander, "there's something you don't see every day."

Suddenly, the ice started to crack after a white coloured sword was stabbed through it, eventually it broke apart when Rukia sliced the dome open and walked out of the now remaining circle of ice. Looking at the members of the Watchers Council, she pointed her middle and index finger towards them.

"Bakudo number one" said Rukia as she swept her hand to the side, "Sai."

The Scoobies looked on as only the members of the Watchers Council seemed to have their hands behind them as if restrained by an invisible force. It was when Travers and the others fell onto the floor that Rukia saw a crystal falling from one of the men.

"So this was what you used" said Rukia as she picked it up and gave it to Ichigo.

"Release us this instant" ordered Travers.

"No" said Rukia, "not until you promise not only to leave this place, but to keep the promises that you made to the Slayer and her friends."

"I will promise no such thing, not anymore" said Travers as he glared at Rukia.

"Ichigo" said Rukia, "I need a marker."

"Sure" said Ichigo as he handed her a black marker.

"You will leave and keep your promises" said Rukia as she started to draw on Travers' face using the marker, "or else I'll bring down the entire resources of my organization down on your head."

"Stop it" said Travers as she tried to move his face away from the tip of the marker as Buffy and the others could only look on slightly amused.

"Your organization just interfered with the duty of the Shinigami to protect the world of the living" said Rukia as she started to shade some of the circled she drew around his eyes, "not only that, you tried to use magic to capture a Shinigami."

"Actually" said Ichigo as she stepped out form the back of the counter, "you tried to capture the vice-captain of the Thirteenth division."

"True" said Rukia, "just because of those reasons, I can have our tech division break into all your accounts, even the ones you have hidden from the authorities and drain all of them."

"You can do that?" asked Giles.

"Yes" said Rukia, "then funnel the money publically into numerous organizations that are in the, shall we say, illegal arms business."

"You wouldn't" said Travers.

"Try me" said Rukia as she got up and put back the marker before releasing them from her Bakudo, "now leave and you had better keep whatever promises you made. You don't deserve the information we have for them."

"But" said Travers.

"Get out" said Rukia.

"You haven't heard the end of us" said Travers as he glared at Rukia.

"Out!" said Rukia as the last of the Watchers Council members ran out the door.

"So" said Giles as he walked towards Rukia, "can you really do those things you said?"

"I don't know" said Rukia as she shrugged her shoulders, "maybe… maybe not."

"So you lied?" said Anya.

"Well" said Rukia, "don't tell him that."

"Now" said Buffy as she glared at Ichigo, "talk."

"Ma'am" said Chappy, "I will take my leave."

"Go" said Rukia as Chappy ran out the door.

"Ummmmm… I don't know how to say this" said Xander and he looked around him before looking at Rukia, "but what the hell; Rukia, your body just ran away."

"That's just my gigai, my faux body" said Rukia as she put her sword back into its scabbard, "this is my real form. All Shinigami or Soul Reapers, as you call us, are composed of purely spiritual bodies."

"Then Ichigo?" said Buffy as she glared at the orange haired boy.

"I'm a substitute" said Ichigo.

"Substitute?" said Willow as she started to hold Tara's hand tightly.

"I'm human" said Ichigo, "which is why that barrier didn't work on me, but when I press my badge or pop in my soul pill, my spiritual body comes out."

"Oh" said Giles, "that's fascinating."

"OK" sighed Buffy as she rubbed the bridge of her nose, "what can you tell me about Glory? I know she's a demon, but not what kind of a demon."

"She's not a demon" said Rukia.

"Then what is she?" said Tara.

"He didn't tell you?" said Willow sarcastically, "I thought you guys shared all known secrets?"

"Willow" said Tara.

"No" said Rukia as she looked at the red head, "only we knew."

"Please understand Buffy" said Inoue as she walked towards the Slayer, "Kurosaki-kun couldn't tell you anything because no one had any idea of what her motivations or weaknesses were."

"And now you know?" said Buffy as she looked at Inoue, "and you are a Soul Reaper too?"

"I'm nobody" said Inoue with a smile, "just human."

"You shouldn't put yourself down like that, Inoue" said Rukia.

"Yea" said Ichigo as he ruffled her hair, "you saved us a few times already."

"Look" said Buffy as she grabbed Ichigo's arm, "you say that Glory's not a demon, then what is she?"

"The being you know as Glory is Glorificus" said Rukia, "a hell god."

Inoue, Ichigo and Rukia looked on as Buffy's eyes widened in surprise and shock, as did the others.

"Did you just say that she's a god?" asked Buffy, "as in, a god god?"

"Yes" said Rukia, "Soul Society usually does not interfere with Hell's business but we cannot stand by when a Hell god is wrecking havoc in the world of the living, especially when the security of the Soul Society is at risk" said Rukia.

"I'm sorry" said Xander as he put his hand in the air, "what the heck is Soul Society?"

"It's heaven" said Rukia.

"Oh" said Xander, "well….. ok…. I don't know how to respond to that."

"The first part of our plan is to get Joyce and Dawn out of the line of fire" said Ichigo as he looked at Buffy, "I know that Glory threatened them."

"How?" said Buffy, "that just happened today."

"I'll explain later" said Ichigo, "but first I need you to explain to Joyce and Dawn whats going on."

"Look" said Buffy, "where are you going to take them, Glory can find them anywhere on Earth."

"We have authorization to take them to Soul Society" said Rukia, "they'll be there for a whole month, safe and out of Glory's reach."

"They'll be staying there with a friend" said Ichigo as he looked at Tara.

"Momma?" said Tara smiling as Ichigo nodded.

"Tara?" said Willow as everyone looked at the blonde who already had tears coming from her eyes, "I thought you told me your mom died?"

"Tara" said Buffy, "what's going on?"

"She died" said Tara as she looked at everyone, "but she's living happily in Soul Society. Ichigo took me to Soul Society to visit her. It was his birthday present to me."

"So it's true?" said Buffy, "the whole Soul Society thing? It's not some kind of a huge joke?"

"No" said Tara as she wiped her tears, "I saw my mother, I can spend two days with her every year during my birthday."

"Congratulations" said Willow as she hugged Tara tightly, "I'm so happy for you."

"Hey" said Xander as he hugged Tara.

As everyone asked Tara about how her mother was and what Soul Society was like, Ichigo noticed an increasingly upset Willow walking to the back of the store where the training room was located.

"Rukia" said Ichigo, "I think you and Inoue should start talking to them about the plan for Joyce and Dawn. I need to go fix some stuff."

"Alright" said Rukia as Ichigo walked towards the backdoor asn head into the training room.

"Willow?" said Ichigo as he reached for the light in the darkened room.

"Leave it off" said Willow as she sat on the couch with her hands wiping her eyes.

Ichigo could already tell from her voice and the red in her eyes, which he could clearly see thanks to the moonlight coming in through the upper windows, that Willow was crying.

"Willow" said Ichigo, "don't blame Tara for not telling you, I asked her not to."

"Yeah" said Willow as she looked up at Ichigo, "you gave her the best present anyone could ever ask for, a chance to see her dead mother."

"Willow" said Ichigo as he reached for the red head.

"Its something that I can never give her" said Willow as she slapped his hand away in anger, "how could you?"

"I… i…." said Ichigo as he stepped back a few steps.

"Didn't you think how it would affect me or my relationship with her?" hissed Willow, "she has what she's always wanted and you were the one who gave it to her. How could you do that? How?"

"I'm sorry" said Ichigo as he ran his hand through his hair, "I didn't think…."

"That's just it" said Willow, "you didn't think, I've seen that you guys were getting closer but I never realized it was because of this."

"Willow" said Ichigo.

"Stay away" said Willow as she stood up and wiped her tears from her face, "I want you to stay away from Tara."

"But.." said Ichigo.

"You want to help beat Glory?" said Willow angrily, "fine. But after that, I want you gone from our lives. Leave Sunnydale, I don't care where you finish your schooling. I just want you to stay completely away from her."

"Willow" said Ichigo as he suddenly felt a wall of fast air that picked him up and threw him against the far wall.

"Ow" said Ichigo as she got up and felt the back of his head which was slightly wet.

"Please" said Willow as her voice broke again, "just stay away from her."

Willow then turned around and walked out of the training room before closing the door. She smiled at Tara who looked at her and hugged her tightly again.


	21. The Truth for Joyce and Dawn

**Magic Box, 9:00pm.**

Rukia and Inoue were standing in the front as the Scoobies were all hugging Tara after finding about her mother. After some time, she noticed that Willow has come out from the back and was being hugged by Tara but Ichigo hadn't followed her out.

"Inoue" said Rukia, "you stay here and get everyone seated, I'll be right back."

"Sure" said Inoue as she walked towards the gathered Scoobies and nervously asked them all to take a seat.

Rukia walked past Willow, who Rukia noticed was following her moves before looking away, and walked into the back area. After switching on the light, she saw that Ichigo was sitting down on the floor with his back to a wall and holding the back of his head.

"Ichigo" said Rukia as she walked towards him, "what the hell are you doing in the dark?"

As she got closer to him, Rukia noticed that the back of his head was covered in blood.

"Hey" said Rukia as she kneeled down beside him as she started a healing kido on the head wound, "what happened? I saw you getting into this room with the red headed girl, Willow."

"Yeah" said Ichigo, "I must have tripped on something after she left."

"You tripped and fell backwards, and hit a wall hard enough for you to bleed from a wound on your head?" asked Rukia, not believing him.

"Yeah" said Ichigo as Rukia finished her healing kido and he stood up while leaning slightly against the wall.

"You hit it quite hard" said Rukia, "must have been quite a fall."

"Yeah" said Ichigo, "it was."

"Kurosaki-kun, Kuchiki-san" said Inoue as she walked into the training area, "they're ready for you to talk to them."

"Thanks, Inoue" said Rukia as she walked past Inoue and walked out the door.

"Kurosaki-kun" said Inoue as she noticed the blood on the wall and the blood on the back of his head, "please sit on the couch."

"Alright" said Ichigo as he followed Inoue to the couch where he sat down while she stood over him, "you don't need to worry Inoue, Rukia healed the wound already. I told her I fell so everything's fine."

"I see" said Inoue as she placed her hands over the blood on Ichigo's hair, "Soten Kisshun, I reject."

Inoue watched as a yellowish barrier formed over the blood that was already caked on Ichigo's head and hair.

"Thanks" said Ichigo as he glanced back at Inoue.

"Its alright" said Inoue as she watched the blood slowly disappear, revealing Ichigo's orange coloured hair which was when she disengaged the barrier and her power returned to one of the clips on her hair.

"Alright" said Ichigo as he took out his badge and pressed it against his chest.

Inoue stood back and looked on as Ichigo's spiritual body slipped out of his physical one as it limped down onto the side of the couch.

"Hold on" said Ichigo as he lifted the legs of his physical body onto the couch and closed the eye lids, "ah, that's much better. It would have been weird if the eyes were kept open don't you think?"

"Yep" smiled Inoue as she turned around, "ready?"

"Yea" said Ichigo as he walked out of the training room with Inoue and walked over to Rukia who was already talking to the Scoobies.

"Woah" said Xander, "that's one huge sword."

"Yeah" said Ichigo, "well…."

"Maybe later" said Rukia as she looked at Ichigo, "want to explain about the plan?"

"Sure" said Ichigo as he looked at Buffy, "do they know about the key?"

"No" said Buffy as she looked at her friends, "not everything anyway."

"We've aware that it opens something" said Giles.

"Well, D'uh" said Xander, "I mean, it's a key… of course it opens something."

"The monk that Buffy encountered at the warehouse…." Said Rukia as Buffy interrupted her.

"The monk?" said Buffy, "you mean, you've actually spoken to the dead monk?"

"Yes" said Rukia, "his help was crucial in helping us find information on Glory and the Key."

"Oh" said Buffy as she looked at Giles.

"As I was saying" said Rukia, "the Key, when used at a specific day, location and time, opens doors to every dimension in existence."

"Wait" said Giles as he slowly stood up and took of his glasses, "what do you mean by every dimension?"

"Every dimension" said Ichigo, "every demon dimension you can think of, every hell dimension, Hueco Mundo and even into Soul Society."

"Oh dear Lord" said Giles as he looked at Buffy and then the other Scoobies.

"Mr. Giles?" said Tara as she looked between him and Ichigo as she thought to herself, _'he never told me, why didn't he tell me?'_

"This is very bad" said Giles, "every hellish creature and every demon spilling out into our world, Glory will literally be creating hell on Earth."

"Yes" said Rukia.

"You mentioned another place" said Anya, "what was it?"

"Yeah" said Xander.

"Hueco Mundo" said Buffy as she looked at Xander and then Ichigo, "what's Hueco Mundo?"

"I've never heard of it" said Giles.

"Hueco Mundo is the home of Hollows" said Inoue.

"Hollows?" asked Willow as she held on to Tara's hand tightly.

"Hollows are the opposite of humans" said Rukia.

"I'm sorry" said Giles, "but I've always believed that demons are the opposite of human beings."

"In a way you're right" said Rukia, "they are a threat to humans. At least the ones that, unlike Anya there, try to kill you."

"So hollows?" asked Buffy.

"Hollows are born from human souls who for various reasons don't cross over to Soul Society and linger in the world of the living for too long" said Rukia.

"Come on" said Willow, "that's not possible, ghosts are ghosts. They stay in one place for too long they probably get pissed off and become a poltergeist or something along those lines. And another thing, if these Hollows exist, how come none of us have seen them?"

"I….. I have" said Tara as she looked at Willow and the others, "it was after we were at the park with Ichigo and Dawn, remember?"

"Yea" said Willow.

"When I was on the way back to the dorms after dropping Dawn home, I was attacked by what I later found out was a hollow" said Tara.

"Why didn't you tell us?" said Buffy as she held Tara's hand.

"I… I…." said Tara nervously.

"I asked her not too" said Ichigo as he looked at Buffy, "Hollows are the responsibility of a Soul Reaper, I know you have your own hands full with vampires and demons."

"Oh my" said Giles as he turned towards Rukia, "so what do these hollows do?"

"They devour souls of both the living and the dead" said Rukia, "and with the time coming up to use the Key, Soul Society believes that, in addition to demons, hollows will be converging here in anticipation of the opening of the dimensional doorways."

"And Hueco Mundo is their home" said Ichigo, "every hollow, small or big; weak or powerful, lives in Hueco Mundo."

"I was kidnapped and taken there" said Inoue as the Scoobies noticed Ichigo and Rukia cringe a little, "but Kurosaki-kun and the others rescued me. Believe me when I say that it wasn't a pleasant experience."

"The Winter War?" asked Tara and Anya.

"Yes" said Rukia.

"The Winter War?" asked Willow.

"It doesn't matter now" said Ichigo as he looked away from Willow and Tara, "our main goal is to get Joyce and Dawn into Soul Society first."

"Buffy" said Xander, "do you believe all this? We'll follow your lead on this and support you no matter what."

"Will they be safe?" asked Buffy as she stood back up and walked towards Ichigo.

"Yes" said Ichigo, "Helen, Tara's mother, has already agreed to look after them, and they'll be staying under the protection of not only Rukia's division, the Thirteenth, but the rest of the Gotei 13."

At the mention of Helen, Willow looked at the smiling face on Tara as she looked at Ichigo before she looked down onto the table.

'_She's happy'_ thought Willow to herself, _'I should be happy for her, but…. Oh God, what's wrong with me?'_

"The what 13?" asked Buffy.

"The Gotei 13 is basically the military arm of Soul Society" said Rukia, "they…"

"No" said Buffy, "no military."

"Buffy" said Ichigo.

"I said no, Ichigo" said Buffy.

"You're afraid of something" said Rukia as she walked towards Buffy.

"The last military group we encountered" said Xander, "ran experiments on demons and even created a demon, human and machine hybrid that tried to kill all of us and basically take over the world."

"I see" said Rukia.

"So no" repeated Buffy, "military usually means experimentation and I will not let that happen to Dawn."

"Wait what?" said Xander as the rest of the Scoobies looked at Buffy.

"Buffy" said a surprised Willow, "what do you mean you won't let anyone experiment on Dawn?"

"Yea" said Xander, "I mean, it's not as if she's the Key or anything that anyone would… want….. to…."

Xander and the others realized from the look of Buffy's face that they had stumbled onto Dawn's secret.

"Buffy?" asked Tara, "Da….Dawn's the Key?"

"Yes" said Giles as he stood up, walked towards Buffy and gently put his hand on her shoulder, "we've known for some time."

"But…." Said Xander as his face reflected his hurt.

"I couldn't tell you all" said Buffy, "I wanted to protect you because I was afraid that if Glory had even suspected that you knew anything about Dawn, she would have come after you."

"Buffy" said Tara as she walked towards the Slayer and gave her a tight hug, "sh….. she'll be com… coming after us, either way. Bu…. But th…thank you for thinking about our safety."

"Well" said Anya, "whatever happened, happened. Now can we please move along?"

"You knew about Dawn too?" said Buffy as she looked at Ichigo and Rukia.

"Yes" said Ichigo, "but it wasn't my place to tell anyone about her."

"She doesn't know yet either" said Rukia.

"No" replied Buffy.

"You need to tell her" said Ichigo.

"Buffy" said Inoue, "I understand your fears about experiments done on your sister, but the Gotei 13 aren't like that. Well, there is that one mad scientist that tried to experiment on me, but Ishida-kun defeated him, but other than that, she will be kept completely safe."

"What?" said Buffy.

"Captain Kurotsuchi won't be allowed near your sister" said Rukia, "but the fact of the matter is, that the only way to get into Soul Society is to use the sword of a Soul Reaper or the Key. Since your sister will be in Soul Society, that part of entering Soul Society is gone. If Glory tries to handle our swords, she won't be able to open the doorway because only a Soul Reaper can open it. A Shinigami would rather die than endanger the security of Soul Society."

"The others are setting up a Spirit Exchanger at a secret location" said Ichigo.

"Spirit Exchanger?" asked Giles.

"Everything in Soul Society is made up of Spirit Particles" said Tara to the surprise of the Scoobies, "the Exchanger changes a physical body into Spirit Particles so that they could enter Soul Society."

"Right" smiled Ichigo.

However, after noticing the look that Willow gave to him, and then Tara when she wasn't looking, wiped the smile off his face and made him look away. Noticing what just happened Tara, slightly confused, looked at Willow and then at Ichigo.

'_What's going on?'_ thought Tara to herself.

"Ummm….. Buffy" said Ichigo as he nervously ran his hands through his hair, "we should go, we need to tell Dawn."

"Alright" said Buffy as she walked towards Ichigo.

"Rukia?" said Ichigo.

"Let's go" replied Rukia as she turned around.

"I'll stay here until you get back" said Inoue as she looked at both Ichigo and Rukia who nodded their heads.

"I'll go with you" said Tara as she stepped forward after unknowingly slipping her hand out of the grip of Willow's.

"No" said Ichigo as he glanced at Willow's face and then at Tara's surprised look, "I mean, I think we can handle convincing Dawn and Joyce to leave for Soul Society."

"Maybe" said Tara, "but I've been there, Dawn and Joyce will trust me that Soul Society is a safe place to go."

"I'm sorry" said Ichigo as he looked at Rukia before looking at Buffy, "let's go."

Ichigo then picked up Buffy and Shunpo'd away to the surprise of the Scoobies, especially Tara.

"Ichigo" said Rukia as she turned around just as her friend vanished before turning around to face Tara who looked hurt.

"What's going on?" asked Tara.

Rukia glanced behind Tara at Willow who looked back at her, before averting her eyes.

"Nothing" sighed Rukia as she too shunpo'd to where Ichigo was standing in the air with Buffy.

"Ichigo" said Rukia as she looked at her friend.

"Not now" replied Ichigo before he looked at Buffy, "which way to Joyce and Dawn?"

"We're flying?" said Buffy.

"Technically yes" smiled Ichigo.

"You were the one that carried me out of that warehouse, weren't you?" asked Buffy.

"Yep" said Ichigo, "so, which way do we go?"

"That way" said Buffy as Ichigo and Rukia shunpo'd towards Spike's crypt.

**Spike's Crypt, three flash steps later.**

"Woah" said Buffy as the three of them landed right outside Spike's crypt, "that was a rush."

"Yes" said Ichigo as he put Buffy down, "the only way to travel."

"Come on" said Buffy as she headed toward the crypt.

"Hold on" said Ichigo as he held her arm back, "we're still waiting for someone."

"Oh?" said Buffy surprised.

"Yo" said Yoruichi in her cat form from on top of a headstone to the complete surprise and shock of Buffy.

"O…. O….. Ok" said Buffy as she pointed her finger at Yoruichi and looked at Ichigo, "did that cat just speak to me?"

"Hey Kid" said Yoruichi, "I'm right here you know."

"Well it's not every day….." said Buffy before she came to a realization, "wait a minute, you're my cat."

"Actually" said Yoruichi as she transformed into her human form, "I'm no one's cat."

"You're that woman" said Buffy, "the one who beat that snake demon."

"Technically" said Yoruichi as she walked towards the Slayer, "you're the one that beat it up, I just helped a bit."

"Yoruichi-san was sent to look out for Joyce, Dawn and yourself as my backup" said Ichigo.

"Yep" said Yoruichi as she stretched out a bit.

"You saw my mother collapse, didn't you?" asked Buffy.

"Yes" said Yoruichi, "which is why I had to scratch your face to wake you up. If you didn't follow me down immediately, I would have had to break cover and take her to the hospital myself. That would have brought about even more questions, so I was lucky you followed me down and found her."

"Well, thank you" said Buffy.

"It was nothing" said Yoruichi.

"So you're a Soul Reaper too?" asked Buffy.

"Yep" grinned Yoruichi.

"Let's go, Buffy" said Ichigo as he approached the Slayer, "we need to get this done and over with quickly. The sooner Joyce and Dawn are out of here, the sooner we can get to the part about…. You know."

"Right" replied Buffy as she opened the door to Spike's Crypt.

**Magic Box, at that same time. **

"So, Miss" said Giles as he approached Inoue who was looking at some of the items that was on the shelves near the entrance.

"Please, call me Orihime" said Inoue as she turned to face the Watcher.

"Very Well, Orihime" said Giles, "please call me Rupert."

"Nice to meet you" smiled Inoue.

"So, what is your role in all this?" asked Giles.

"Me?" asked Inoue, "I'm just here for Kurosaki-kun and the others should they need me. I just support them while they do the heavy work."

"I see" said Giles as Orihime started to look at some books on magic.

"How long has Ichigo been…..?" asked Giles as Inoue interrupted him.

"You know" said Orihime as she thought deeply, "it's been almost four years, I think. But then again, I'm not sure you can count the time he lost his powers and then got them back again. But, he became a Soul Reaper when he was fifteen."

"Really?" said Giles just as Willow and Tara walked up to the both of them, "that's about the age Buffy was called to become the Slayer."

"So young" said Inoue surprised.

"So was Ichigo" said Giles, "how did he become a Soul Reaper? I mean a substitute Soul Reaper? Was it a calling he had?"

"Ah" said Inoue, "it would be better if you asked him, I mean it would be rude of me to say anything about something that he should be telling you. All I can tell you is that he will protect his friends with every fibre of his being, no matter what."

"Buffy's the same" said Giles, "although she was a bit more, how shall we say, childish when I first met her."

"But she did manage to save us and the world when… you know…. The situation called for it" said Willow.

"Really?" said Inoue, "maybe you could tell me stories of her exploits? Well, after this whole situation with Glory is settled."

"Sure" said Willow.

"Orihime" said Giles, "would you like to sit down and have some refreshments while we wait for the others to get back?"

"All you have is tea, Giles" said Willow.

"I'd like some tea" said Inoue, "if it's no trouble."

"Of course" said Giles as he went to make some tea for the small group.

"Orihime, forgive my rudeness. I mean we should have introduced ourselves earlier but my name is Tara, and this is Willow. And that guy at the table is Xander and his girlfriend, Anya."

"Nice to meet you, Tara… Willow" said Inoue as she shook both their hands before waving at Xander and Anya.

'_So she is the one I've heard about from Rukia-san'_ thought Inoue to herself as she looked at Tara, _'she's pretty.'_

"So" said Willow, "how long have you known Ichigo?"

"Since I was twelve" said Inoue as the two girls accompanied her to the table near the book stacks where Giles had already laid out some cups and a pot of tea, "the first time I saw him was in his family's clinic."

"Oh" said Tara as she sat down in between Willow and Inoue.

"Can I ask you something honestly?" asked Willow as she looked at Inoue, "all this stuff about Hollow's and such is just a joke right? I mean human souls becoming monsters that eat other souls? And Soul Society?"

"Willow" said Tara as she looked at the red head, "what's with you?"

"All I'm saying is that Ichigo could have taken you somewhere else" said Willow, "maybe it wasn't heaven or this Soul Society."

'_I'm sure Ichigo's got other plans for you. I'm sure there are other reasons why he took you to see your mother. Maybe Buffy can help me figure this out'_ thought Willow to herself, _'in the meantime, please just forget about him, just forget about everything about him. Everything's gone downhill since he came into the picture.'_

"Are you saying that I imagined meeting my mother?" asked Tara, "are you saying that I lied? That Ichigo lied?"

"No" said Willow, "all I'm saying is that…"

"Hollows are real" said Inoue sadly, "my brother, Sora, was turned into a Hollow."

After her revelation, everyone including Giles and Anya stared at Inoue.

"Excuse me?" said Xander as he looked around the table, "did you just say your brother was turned into a hollow?"

"Yes" said Inoue as she looked at the people around her.

"I don't think we should be talking about this" said Tara.

"When I was twelve years old" said Inoue as she looked down at the table, "my brother was badly injured in a car accident and brought to Kurosaki-kun's family clinic. They did everything they could but he died that day."

"I'm sorry" said Tara before she stared at Willow, "you don't need to say anything else."

"It's alright" said Inoue, "but to make it easier for you to understand; when a soul becomes a hollow, it loses its heart. To fill that huge hole where its heart used to be, a hollow would have to eat souls. They always go after their family or the ones they love first before they go after more potent souls to eat."

"So… so the hollow version of yo…your brother, came after you?" asked Tara.

"Yes" said Inoue.

"Oh" said Willow as she looked at Tara and squeezed her hand tightly.

"I was lucky" said Inoue, "when my brother attacked me, Kurosaki-kun was the one who saved my life. He also saved my brother's soul."

"Hold on" said Willow, "I don't understand, if a human soul becomes a hollow, then it's damned right?"

"Well…" said Inoue.

"Then how could Ichigo saved your brother's soul?" asked Willow.

"A Shinigami's Zanpakutō cleanses the sins that the soul committed while it was a hollow, purifying it" said another voice from the door as it opened, "once the soul is purified, it goes to Soul Society."

Giles and the others stood up once they heard the voice and walked toward the entrance when they saw a white haired boy wearing a sword on his back, over a white coat with black markings. The group also saw a woman beside him wearing a black robe loosely around her body with an ample cleavage showing.

"Hitsugaya-kun, Rangiku-san" said Inoue as she walked towards the Captain and his lieutenant.

"Hello" said Giles.

"And you are?" asked Xander.

"I am Toshiro Hitsugaya, Captain of the tenth division of the Gotei 13"

"Rangiku Matsumoto, lieutenant of the tenth division of the Gotei 13"

"Ok" said Anya.

"Nice to see you again, Captain" said Tara.

"Miss Maclay" said Hitsugaya as he nodded at the blonde witch.

"You know him?" whispered Willow.

"I just met him once when my mother was…" said Tara as she stopped when she looked closely at Willow and noticed anger in her eyes and her aura.

"Was?" said Willow.

"Are you angry at me?" said Tara as she looked at Willow.

"Willow?" said Giles as he stood behind the red head.

"No" said Willow, "its just that…."

"Its just what?" asked Tara.

"Maybe we should settle all of this later?" asked Inoue.

"Yeah" sighed Hitsugaya as he stared at Giles and the others, "have you been told everything?"

"Just the plan for getting Joyce and Dawn out of Sunnydale and into Soul Society" said Giles.

"I see" said Hitsugaya, "take a seat, Kurosaki and the others should be here soon, if everything goes as planned. We'll talk about Glory then, there are things you should know about her."

**Spike's Crypt, the same time.**

"Mom! Dawn! Spike!" shouted Buffy as she entered the crypt followed by Ichigo, Rukia and Yoruichi.

"Quiet down, Slayer" said Spike as he opened a trap door that led to a lower level and climbed up to the main floor the others were on, "they're…. gak!"

"Gak?" said Yoruichi, "never heard that word before, and from a vampire no less."

"Buffy" said Spike as he tensed up slightly, "why are there three Soul Reapers in my home?"

"You call this a home?" said Rukia as she looked around the crypt, "looks more like a dump."

"Hey" said Spike as he pointed at Rukia, "don't knock it, where else am I supposed to live?"

"A grave?" said Yoruichi and Rukia together.

"So you've met funny Soul Reapers have you?" said Spike as he turned to look at Buffy.

"Listen Spike, there's not much time" said Buffy, "where are they?"

"Right here, Buffy" said Dawn as she climbed up the ladder from the lower floor, followed by Joyce.

"Ichigo?" said Joyce, "what's with the get up? It's not even Halloween yet."

"Joyce, Dawn" said Ichigo, "there's something important you need to…"

"Finally!" shouted Dawn, "you know how long it's been for me to wait for you to admit to being a Soul Reaper?"

"You knew?" said Ichigo, Spike and Buffy together as they stared at Dawn.

"Wait" said Buffy as she looked at Ichigo while pointing at Spike, "Spike knew before I did?"

"I didn't tell either one of them" said Ichigo with his hands up, "the only people who knew were Tara and Anya."

"I overheard you talking to Tara and Anya" said Dawn smiling at Ichigo.

"Anya told me at the shop after the whole invisible demon fiasco" said Spike.

"Oh" replied Buffy.

"So" said Dawn as she looked at Ichigo, "you carry a huge sword on your back, I wonder….."

"Dawn!" said Buffy and Joyce as they stared at Dawn, with Rukia and Yoruichi trying not to laugh at Ichigo's cluelessness.

"What?" said Dawn innocently.

"Alright, alright" said Joyce as she walked towards Ichigo.

"Joyce" said Ichigo, "meet my friends. This is Rukia and that's Yoruichi."

"Hello" said Joyce as she glanced at Rukia and Yoruichi before staring at Ichigo, "so Soul Reaper? As in the Grim Reaper?"

"Understandable mistake" said Ichigo, "but we can talk about that later, Joyce. I'm sorry I never told you earlier about me."

"So what's changed?" asked Joyce as she looked at Ichigo and then Buffy.

"Remember that woman who came to the house?" asked Buffy as she looked at Dawn and Joyce.

"Yea" said Joyce, "she's the reason you asked us to pack a bag and come here."

"Well" said Buffy, "I'm sorry but I need to send you very far away from here."

"Buffy" said Joyce.

"You want us to go away?" asked Dawn hurt.

"Just until its safe again" said Buffy, "please."

"This is Sunnydale, Buffy" said Joyce, "it's never safe."

"I can't protect you and fight at my best with the both of you here" said Buffy.

"Joyce, Dawn" said Yoruichi, "the woman who came to your house today is known as Glory."

"I know" said Joyce, "Buffy told me about her and her threats to kill the both of us."

"Yes, I know" said Yoruichi, "what you don't know; what your daughter just learned is, that Glory is a Hell god."

"Hell god?" said Spike as his eyes opened wide, "are you sure you said Hell god?"

"Yes" said Yoruichi, "she's near invincible and super strong, which is why we need you out of the picture."

"If she's a god" said Spike as he stepped forward, "she can find them anywhere. Where can they go where it's safer than here?"

"Soul Society" said Rukia as she walked forward.

"What?" said Spike.

"Soul Society?" said Joyce confused.

"Ichigo and his friend arranged for you and Dawn to stay with a friend in heaven" said Buffy.

"Wait, wait, wait" said Joyce as she stepped back a bit, "heaven? You're talking about killing us?"

"No!" said Ichigo shaking his head, "we're sending you and Dawn through what's called a Spirit Exchanger. It's a type of gate that transforms a living body into Spirit Particles so that you could enter and stay in Soul Society."

"I'm not going" said Dawn as she crossed her hands over her chest, "I refuse."

"Dawnie" said Buffy.

"Ichigo" said Joyce, "there's got to be another way."

"I'm sorry" said Ichigo as he glanced at Dawn, "Glory's after the Key, and she'll stop at nothing to get hold of it."

"I take it you know about the Key?" asked Rukia as she looked at Joyce.

"Yes" said Joyce as she nodded her head before she looked at Dawn.

"What's this Key thing you keel yapping about?" asked Spike.

"It's an energy matrix that opens every dimensional doorway in existence" said Yoruichi, "Glory wants to go home, to her own Hell dimension, and she's willing to open all the doorways using the Key until she gets home. But in doing so, she'll be bringing Hell, and other dimensions, to the world of the living."

Spike then noticed everyone looking at Dawn, "No."

"What?" snapped Dawn as she stepped back.

"Dawnie, we need to talk" said Joyce as she and Buffy went to one corner to talk, while the three Soul Reapers waited outside and Spike went down below.

It was thirty minutes later after a lot of crying and shouting by Dawn that things had considerably calmed down.

"Hey" said Buffy as she walked outside to meet up with the awaiting Soul Reapers.

"She alright?" asked Ichigo.

"Would you be if you were suddenly told that a psychotic bitch wants to use you as a key to bring hell to Earth?" said Buffy.

"Point taken" said Ichigo as they followed Buffy back into the crypt.

"Dawn" said Ichigo to an angry Dawn, "I'm sorry but this is for the best."

'_Oh boy'_ thought Ichigo to himself_, 'this girl is pissed off.'_

"There is something you should know though" said Yoruichi.

"We really have no idea how being the Key would affect Dawn in Soul Society" said Rukia, "Once there, she'll be made up of Spirit Particles so to hold the energies of the Key which make up Dawn, one of our acquaintances has come up with a special seal."

"What will it do?" asked Joyce.

"It will keep the energies of the Key within Dawn" said Rukia, "it's a 'just in case' type of thing. We don't foresee anything adverse happening to Dawn once she's made up of Spirit Particles."

"Dawn?" said Yoruichi.

"Yeah" said Dawn as she looked away and crossed her hands over her chest angrily, "whatever."

"Yoruichi-san" said Ichigo.

"Yea" said Yoruichi as she kneeled in front of Dawn and opened her palm.

Spike walked behind Yoruichi curious about what was going on and saw a silver light emanating from her palm.

"What's that?" asked Spike.

"A highly advanced seal" said Yoruichi, "a friend of mine created it just for Dawn."

"Urahara-san?" asked Ichigo.

"Yeah" said Yoruichi as she turned back to Dawn, "look Kiddo, this will just tingle a bit. But it won't hurt, alright?"

"Right" said Dawn.

Yoruichi then placed her palm on Dawn's chest and placed the seal into Dawn's core.

"Woah" said Dawn as she stepped back into Joyce's arms.

"Dawnie" said Buffy, "you alright?"

"Yeah" said Dawn, "just tickled a bit."

"Alright" said Rukia, "let's go back to the Magic Box."

"Rukia" said Ichigo, "where's the location for the Spirit Exchanger?"

"The far edge of the city" said Rukia, "close to the place you…."

"Ok" said Ichigo.

"Maybe they should see the others first before they go?" said Buffy.

"Yes" said Rukia, "Captain Hitsugaya will be explaining to all of you what the stakes are before Joyce and Dawn leave."

"Alright" said Ichigo as he turned to Buffy, "you ready to go?"

"Yeah" said Buffy.

"Hey" said Spike, "I'm coming too, you need all the help you can get."

"Buffy?" said Ichigo as he moved his head towards the vampire.

"Yeah" said Buffy, "he's alright."

"Alright" said Ichigo as he picked up Buffy and shunpo'd away.

"That's cool" said Dawn as she started to smiled again.

"Come on kid" said Rukia as she held Dawn's hand and shunpo'd away.

"Joyce?" said Yoruichi, "you ready?"

"Yes" said Joyce nervously, "will it hurt?"

"Nope" said Yoruichi with a smile as she held Joyce's hand and grabbed Spike by his collar before she shunpo'd away with the both of them.

"What a rush" said Dawn as Rukia landed right outside the Magic Box, along with Ichigo, Yoruichi and their passengers.

"You know" said Spike as he approached Yoruichi, "you should charge for that service."

"Right" said Yoruichi, "me taking advice from a vampire."

"Hey" said Spike, "I give good advice."

"Right" said Buffy as she and the others walked into the Magic Box.

Once Ichigo and the others walked in, they saw all the Scoobies seated at the table but with Tara on one end and Willow at the other end; while Hitsugaya, Rangiku and Inoue stood near the counter.

Noticing the angry looks that Willow was giving him with her eyes, Ichigo felt a chill go down his spine.

'_Guess I really need to leave after all of this is over'_ he thought to himself as he looked at Tara who looked back at him with hurt in her eyes before she looked away, _'Yeah, I guess I should really be out of here.'_

"Kurosaki" said Hitsugaya, "have they agreed to go to Soul Society?"

"Yes" said Joyce as she stepped forwards.

"Toshiro" said a grinning Ichigo, "meet Joyce and Dawn Summers. And the guy at the back is Spike, a vampire."

"I see" said Hitsugaya.

"You're a kid" said Dawn as Rukia, Rangiku looked on while Hitsugaya's face twitch.

"I'll have you know, I'm the Captain of the tenth division" said Hitsugaya as he looked at Dawn.

"Well" said Dawn, "you're still a kid, and… I'm taller than you."

"Right" said Hitsugaya as he turned and looked at Rukia, "Kuchiki, there have been reports of Hollows and demons at the vicinity of the gate. Take Matsumoto with you and take care of them."

"Of course" said Rukia as she and Rangiku shunpo'd away.

"The rest of you" said Hitsugaya as he looked at Dawn, Joyce, Buffy and Spike, "please take a seat. You should be made aware of what the stakes are, and the plan to beat Glory."

**Outer edge of Sunnydale, Spirit Exchanger location. Two hours later.**

"Here we are" said Ichigo as he landed in front of the Spirit exchanger while carrying Buffy.

"So this is it?" asked Buffy as she looked at the Gate.

"Yea" replied Ichigo as he looked around after he put Buffy down, "I guess the others must be taking care of the hollows and demons."

"I see" said Buffy as she turned to him, "I… I spoke with Willow."

"Oh" said Ichigo just as Yoruichi and Hitsugaya landed beside them while carrying Joyce and Dawn respectively.

"She's angry" whispered Buffy as Joyce and Dawn got back onto solid ground and started to get their bearings, "I don't know why you did what you did, but…"

"Look" whispered Ichigo as he looked at Buffy, "I'll leave Sunnydale after Glory is gone, you and the others won't ever see me again, although I'll arrange for someone else to take Tara to see her mother. You can tell Willow that I won't approach Tara during the remaining time I'm here."

"She's my best friend" said Buffy, "she…."

"Yeah" said Ichigo as he cut off Buffy just as Joyce and Dawn approached them.

"Ichigo" said Joyce, "will you be taking us?"

"Toshiro?" said Ichigo as he looked at the white haired Captain.

"Its up to you" said Hitsugaya, "but the both of you need to get back quick as the amount of Hollows seem to be increasing."

"Alright" said Ichigo as he turned to Joyce, "I'll go along with Yoruichi-san."

"Very well" said Hitsugaya.

"Buffy" said Joyce as she approached her daughter, "be very careful alright, after what they said about Glory…."

"I'll be alright mom" said Buffy as she hugged Joyce.

"Dawnie" said Joyce as she pulled her into the hug.

"Be safe, Buffy" said Dawn.

"I will" said Buffy as she stood up and kissed Dawn's and Joyce's foreheads.

"I'll miss you" said Dawn as Buffy hugged her again.

"It's time" said Hitsugaya.

"I'll go with Ichigo" said Dawn as she ran to him.

"Alright" said Ichigo as he carried Dawn into his arms, "whatever you do, hold on tight and don't let go."

"Oh" said a grinning Dawn as she wrapped her hands around his neck, "I've got no intention to."

"Right" said Ichigo smiling as he saw Dawn sticking her tongue out at Buffy.

"Ichigo" said Yoruichi who was carrying Joyce, "let's see if you'll be able to beat me in Shunpo this time."

"You got it" said Ichigo as he and Yoruichi turned around and faced the Gate.

"Ready?" he asked Dawn.

"Yeah" she replied.

Buffy looked on as both Ichigo and Yoruichi disappeared into the Gate which then simply vanished, leaving her and Hitsugaya alone.

"Will they really be safe?" asked Buffy.

"Yes" said Hitsugaya as he turned around, "we should leave, you should resume your patrol. The Soul Reapers in Sunnydale will help you with demons if we can, but…."

"You'll have your hands full" said Buffy.

"Yes" said Hitsugaya as he took Buffy's hand before they Shunpo'd away.

TBC


	22. Memories

**Sokyoku Hill, Soul Society**

"Captain Ukitake" said Helen Maclay as she shunpo'd right beside him.

"Ah, Helen" smiled Ukitake, "are you well this evening?"

"Yes" said Helen, "kind of excited to see Ichigo again, and can't wait to ask him how Tara has been."

"I'm sure that she's fine" said Ukitake as the Spirit Exchanger on Sokyoku Hill flared and out came Ichigo and Yoruichi carrying Dawn and Joyce respectively.

"Dawn" said Ichigo as he looked at the girl who had her eyes closed tightly, "wake up."

"I am up" said a smiling Dawn, "are we there yet?"

"Yup" said Ichigo as he lowered her down gently, "welcome to Soul Society."

"It's getting dark" said Dawn.

"That's because its early evening here" said Ukitake as he stepped forward, "welcome, Mrs Summers and Miss Summers."

"Thank you" said Joyce.

"Welcome to Soul Society" said the white haired captain, "I'm Captain Ukitake of the Thirteenth division."

"Nice… nice to meet you" said Joyce as she looked at Dawn, "this is Dawn, my youngest daughter."

"Yes" smiled Ukitake, "don't worry, you'll be safe here."

"That's what Ichigo said" replied Dawn.

"And he's right" replied Ukitake.

"Oh" said Ichigo smiling as he saw the blonde woman standing behind Ukitake in her Academy uniform, "Joyce, Dawn.. there's someone you should meet."

"Hello" said Helen as she approached Joyce and Dawn, "I'm Helen Maclay."

"Maclay?" said Dawn, "wait, you're Tara's mom?"

"Yup" smiled Helen as she looked at Joyce.

"Its nice to meet you" said a nervous Joyce, "you have a fantastic daughter."

"Thank you" said Helen.

"Ukitake" said Yoruichi, "I'll be heading back to Sunnydale now."

"Very well" said Ukitake as Yoruichi opened a separate Senkaimon for herself and went through with her own hell butterfly.

"Thank you" said Joyce as Yoruichi just nodded before the Senkaimon closed and disappeared.

"Ichigo" said Helen as she gave the substitute a tight hug, "its good to see you again."

"Good to see you too" said Ichigo.

"How's Tara?" asked Helen.

"She's….. umm… she's alright" said Ichigo as he tried to avoid looking into Helen's eyes, "she misses you."

"I miss her too" said Helen as she noticed Ichigo's discomfort, "is something wrong?"

"No" said Ichigo softly as he looked at Joyce and Dawn, "I guess its time, I get back."

"Wait" said Helen as she grabbed his hand and shunpo'd out from the hill, leaving Ukitake, Joyce and Dawn alone.

"Well" said Ukitake as he looked at Joyce and Dawn, "if you'd come with me, I'll take you to our medical unit."

"Medical unit?" asked Joyce, "is that really necessary?"

"As you'll be here for a month" said the Captain, "we'd like to ensure that all of your needs are taken care off including any medical needs you may require while you are here."

"My mom just had a tumour extracted" said Dawn.

"Dawn!" said Joyce as she looked at her youngest daughter.

"We have technology here at well, Mrs. Summers" said Ukitake.

"Please, call me Joyce."

"Very well, Joyce" smiled Ukitake, "I have already asked Captain Unohana, the person in charge of the medical unit to personally conduct a medical check on yourself and Dawn. If there's any adverse affects after the extraction of your tumour, she'll be able to find it and heal it."

"Please mom?" said Dawn.

"Alright" said Joyce as she smiled at Dawn before looking at Ukitake, "if it's no trouble."

"No trouble at all" said Ukitake as she held both their hands and shunpo'd out of there to the Squad Four HQ.

**Somewhere near the East gate, Seireitei.**

"Alright" said Helen as she shunpo'd onto the roof of a building in a quiet part of Seireitei, "what's going on?"

"Wow" said Ichigo, "I'm impressed. It's been what? Almost a month and you've gotten shunpo down like an expert."

"Thanks" said Helen as she placed her hands on her hips and stared at Ichigo, "now spill."

"Huh?" said Ichigo confused.

"Tara learnt reading aura's from me, genius" said Helen with a smile, "and I know something's wrong since your aura went haywire when I asked you about Tara."

"Oh" said Ichigo.

"Tara's fine" said Ichigo.

"Yes" said Helen, "you've said that already."

"What I want to know is why you're uncomfortable" said Helen, "I asked you how Tara was and I could see that you're uncomfortable."

"Oh" said Ichigo as he ran his hand through his hair nervously.

"Is my Tara alright?" asked Helen as she held his hands.

"Yes" said Ichigo.

"OK" said Helen, "that was the truth."

"Of course" smiled Ichigo.

"Is she happy?" asked Helen.

"He misses you but knows that you're in a good place now" said Ichigo.

"That's true too" replied Helen.

"I asked you to protect my Tara" said Helen as she looked at Ichigo, "have you?"

"I haven't had much to do to protect her" said Ichigo, "I mean, Willow should be the one doing the protecting especially since she's a powerful witch and all. Also….."

"Ichigo" said Helen, "I noticed something when you mentioned Willow's name."

"It's nothing Helen" said Ichigo.

"What happened?" asked Helen.

"Nothing" said Ichigo as Helen tightened her grip on his hand.

"She's my daughter" said Helen, "I need to know that Tara's safe."

"She's safe" said Ichigo.

"Then why did you make that face when you mentioned Willow's name?" asked Helen, "Please, I deserve to know. Does it have anything to do with Tara?"

"Yes" said Ichigo as he held her hands tightly.

"What happened?" asked Helen.

"Willow was upset when she found out I brought Tara to Soul Society to see you" said Ichigo.

"Oh" said Helen.

"She told me to stay away from Tara" said Ichigo as he tried to avoid the look of a distressed Helen, "she said that I had to leave Sunnydale after this whole thing with Glory was done."

"What did you tell her?" said Helen as her voice slightly broke.

"I didn't get a chance to tell her anything" said Ichigo.

"What do you mean?" asked Helen.

"She kind of flung me against a wall" said Ichigo as he rubbed his head.

"Oh" said Helen as her eyes opened wide in surprise.

"But I'll be leaving" said Ichigo, "I don't want to get in between Tara and Willow."

"Don't" said Helen as she tightened her grip on Ichigo's hands, "don't leave Tara, you swore to me that you would protect her."

"I know" said Ichigo as he tried to avoid Helen's face.

"Buffy, Joyce's daughter, is the Slayer. She and her friends will protect Tara" said Ichigo.

"I don't know them" said Helen, "I know you. I've read up on you after you left Soul Society with Tara. I know what you did during the Winter War, I know what you did before that and after that, I know you swore to protect everyone with your powers. That's why you wanted power in the first place right? Ichigo?"

"Yes" he replied.

"Then how?" said Helen as her voice started to break, "then how can you tell me that you won't be there to protect my Tara?"

"Helen" said Ichigo, "Willow…"

"I don't care about Willow" said Helen, "do you know that if you leave, even if Willow is happy, the person you hurt the most is Tara? Do you?"

"She'll be hurt for only a while" said Ichigo softly.

"What?" said an incensed Helen, "are you serious?"

"She's only known me for a few months" said Ichigo.

"Do you really think that matters to her?" said Helen, "if you leave, then you're just like every male she's ever known. The male members of our family take advantage of the females by perpetuating the lie that our magic comes from demons, so much so, that eventually we don't trust other males. Tara's the same, when I was alive and with her, she didn't have that many male friends and the ones that were even close to her, would talk behind her back; whispering about her 'demon'. But when she came here with you, I've never seen her as happy."

"She was happy because she met you again" said Ichigo.

"You really are a clueless fool" said Helen.

"Huh" said Ichigo as he looked at Helen who took one step towards him.

"Tara was happy because you didn't let her down" said Helen softly, "do you remember the dinner we had the last night she was here? You had to leave early?"

"Yeah" said Ichigo, "I remember."

"She told me about how you promised her a special birthday present" said Helen, "that you didn't tell her you'll be bringing her to see me."

"I know" said Ichigo.

"What you don't know is that she thought you were just kidding" said Helen, "that when she came to your dorm room that morning, you would simply give her a wrapped present or something. She thought that maybe you forgot to get her a present and that you needed to wait for some time to buy it. She also told me that she would have understood if you didn't have anything to give her. So when you told her that morning that you would be bringing her to see me, she was floored. She couldn't believe it. She was happy, and that's because you didn't let her down."

"Ichigo" said Helen as she placed her hand on his cheek, "I can't stop you if you really decide if you want to go after all of this is done. I know Tara will keep her promise to train Willow, but she'll be deeply hurt if you leave."

"Helen" said Ichigo, "I…"

"Before you say anything else" said Helen, "answer me one question honestly. Don't worry, it won't colour my view of you no matter what answer you give me."

"Ok" said Ichigo confused.

"Do you have romantic feelings for my Tara?" asked Helen.

**Giles' Apartment, 11:30pm **

"Giles" said Xander as he and Spike waited for him to open his apartment door.

"Yes Xander?" asked Giles.

"Do you think that kid was right?" said Xander as he followed Giles into his home, "that all we need to do is prevent Glory from sucking on more brains in order to defeat her?"

"It sounds like a logical thing" said Giles, "I mean she gets her mental stability from draining the mental energy of others, so if we can somehow prevent that from happening, she should turn back to her human persona; thus making it easy to kill her."

"By killing an innocent?" said Spike, "Gee, and I thought you protected the innocent."

"Look who's talking" said Xander as he stared at Giles, "and what the heck is he doing here?"

"I recall that Yoruichi person saying that we should stay together" said Giles, "while she and Inoue watch over the girls at Buffy's house."

"Ummm…." said Spike, "that Inoue's someone I'd like to sink my teeth into."

At that statement, both Xander and Giles turned and stared at Spike.

"Not literally" said Spike, "I mean if I did then the chip in my head would go 'kaboom'."

"You're a pig, Spike" said Xander.

"Oh" said Spike as he looked at Giles, "speaking of pig, you still have that pig's blood?"

"No" said Giles disgusted.

"Bollocks" said Spike, "I'll be back, gonna be going off to my crypt to get my stash."

"You do realize you don't need to come back right?" said Xander.

"Well" said Spike, "since the crazy hell bitch is gunning for all of us, the Slayer's new Soul Reaper pals 'suggested' that we stay together for 'safety purposes'. So yeah, I'll be back…. Or do you want to accompany me to make sure I'm safe."

"You can't pay me enough" deadpanned Xander.

"Then I'll be back" said Spike as he walked out and closed the door.

"Should one of us go with him?" asked Giles as he poured himself some scotch.

"Nah" said Xander, "he's a vampire, who'd want him?"

"Glory?" said Giles.

"Think about it Giles" said Xander as he went into the kitchen, "if Glory really is some kind of a mentally unstable brain sucking Hell god, why the hell would she be going after Spike? I would fully expect her to come after one of us."

"True" said Giles as he walked up the stairs to his bedroom, "I'm going to bed, you take the couch. And when Spike comes back, tell him he's got the bath tub."

"Sure, G-man" said Xander.

"Don't call me that" said Giles as he walked up the stairs and disappeared.

"Ah" said Xander as he took out four slices of bread and some peanut butter, "two peanut butter sandwiches for dinner, yummy."

Just as he put down the bread and jar of peanut butter onto the kitchen counter, he heard a loud shout from upstairs.

"Giles!" shouted Xander as he quickly ran up the stairs and into the watcher's room, "what's going on? Is it Gl…"

"Xander" said Giles as he had his back against the wall and was staring at his bed in disbelief "am I seeing what I think I'm seeing or do I really need to change my glasses."

"Oh my God" said Xander as he stood still and stared at the figure that was smiling back at them while sitting on the bed.

"Rupert… Xander, I've missed the both of you so much."

"Jen… Jenny?" said Giles in disbelief.

"Miss Calendar?" said Xander

**The Summers Residence, at the same time.**

"Ok guys" said Buffy as she looked at Anya, Tara and Willow who were sitting on the living room couch, "the boys are having their little thing while we girls are having our own little thing."

"Great" said Anya sarcastically, "I get to hang out with you when I could have sexy time with my Xander."

"Really?" said Willow, "Brain sucker on the loose and all you can think of is that?"

"I get horny when I'm nervous" said Anya, "I can't help it."

"OK" said Buffy as she walked towards the door, "the kid said that demons should have started to increase since the time to use the key is coming, so I'll go out on patrol while you guys sit tight."

"We'll check out some spells" said Willow as she stood up and walked towards Buffy who glanced at Tara who had hung her head while subtlety shaking it.

"Are you sure?" said Buffy as she and Willow walked outside to the porch, "these are dark magics you're talking about, Willow."

"That Yoruichi lady said that magics can hurt Glory" said Willow, "and since she's refused to show me the magics she and the other Soul Reapers use, then the Dark magics are our best shot at hurting Glory."

"Willow" said Buffy, "you should talk to Tara about this. As your best friend, all I'm saying is that you think about this. Tara said that Dark magics are addictive."

"I know" said Willow, "but it's like taking caffeine, I can stop whenever I want."

"Willow" said Buffy.

"Have faith in me, Buff" said Willow, "please."

"I do have faith in you" said Buffy as she gave Willow a tight hug, "I just worry about you. So does Xander, Tara, Giles and Anya."

"Speaking of Tara" said Willow.

"I talked to Ichigo" said Buffy as she looked sadly at Willow, "he said that he'll be leaving after all of this is done."

"Thank you" said Willow, "for speaking to him I mean."

"Willow" said Buffy, "are you sure about this? I mean this whole Ichigo thing? Tara likes having him around, so does Xander. I mean I'll support you with whatever you decide but…. Just think about it."

"I'm scared, Buff" said Willow, "I'm scared I'll lose Tara too, just like I lost Oz. I don't want to go through that again."

"Hey" said Buffy, "no matter what happens, it's not the end of the world. After Oz left, you thought you would never find love again. Then you found Tara and you learned to love."

"That's why I don't want to go through that again" said Willow, "it hurts too much."

"I understand" said Buffy, "listen, I'll go for patrol and then when I get back we'll have our traditional foreign movie sleepover jam in my room. Just like the old days, you and me. I mean I'd invite Xander but…."

"No!" smiled Willow, "I'd like it if we just had a girls night thing; maybe we can ask Tara along?"

"Sure, the more the merrier" said Buffy as she turned and walked down her driveway, "be safe, and stay inside until I get back."

"Alright" said Willow as she watched Buffy walk away before turning around and walking back into the house.

Unknown to either Willow or Buffy, Rukia, who had replaced Yoruichi and Inoue, was sitting on the roof with her back to the chimney and looking up at the stars.

'_Oh boy'_ thought Rukia to herself, _'this is one complicated household. Tara likes Ichigo, Willow likes Tara and Buffy likes Willow. And each one doesn't know; well except for the whole Tara and Willow thing. Relationships in the world of the living are a nightmare. Of course, I could just be wrong and this is just one hell of a group of screwed up people.'_

"Hey" said Willow as she looked at Anya, "where's Tara?"

"She went upstairs" said Anya as she took out a deck of cards, "wanna play poker?"

"Maybe later" said Willow as she ran up the stairs to Dawn's room and opened the closed door, "Tara? Baby?"

"Hey" said Tara who was lying down on the bed.

"You alright?" said Willow as she crouched beside Tara.

"I'm just tired" said Tara sadly.

"Oh" replied Willow.

"Don't do it, Willow" said Tara, "don't go into the dark magics."

"I have to Tara" said Willow, "we don't have a choice; you head what the Soul Reapers said. Magics, especially the dark magics are Glory's weakness. We can hurt her, I can hurt her."

"Willow" said Tara as she sat up in bed, "please, you'll get addicted to the dark magics. Let me train you, it will take some time but I can help you become more powerful but at a pace you can handle."

"We don't have time" said Willow as she caressed Tara's cheek, "I need the power now to help beat her and dark magics are the answer."

"Willow" said Tara, "my mom made me promise to help train you, to prevent you from becoming addicted….."

"You can train me all you want after we've beaten Glory" said Willow, "then I'll give up the dark magics."

"It'll be too late" said Tara sadly, "I'm scared Willow. I'm scared that you'll get addicted and you won't be able to come back. Please, don't use dark magics."

"I swear to you that I won't get addicted" said Willow with a smile, "you have my promise that after we're done with Glory, I'll give up the dark magics."

"But…" said Tara.

"In the meantime" said a smiling Willow, "you should get some sleep, Anya said you were tired."

"Yes" sighed Tara.

"Then sleep, baby" said Willow, "oh I'll be having a sleepover with Buffy, wanna join?"

"It's alright" said Tara as he slowly lay her head back down on the pillow, "I better get some sleep."

"I love you" said Willow as she kissed Tara's forehead, "good night."

"Good night" said Tara as she closed her eyes.

**The Summers Residence, two hours later.**

'_Rain?'_ thought Tara to herself as she looked around and found herself near a building in an unknown city.

'_What is this place?'_ thought Tara to herself as she heard sounds of shouting coming from the building before she walked in.

"This is a dojo" said Tara as she looked around and saw people, especially children all around her. She noticed that all of them were looking at two children on the floor. Tara walked closer until she could make out that a boy and a girl were facing each other. It seemed as if the dark haired girl was in a fighting stance while the boy with orange hair had his hands up covering his chest.

'_Is that…?'_ thought Tara to herself as the girl punched the boy, making him fall down onto his back. She saw the girl look at him as he got up and started to cry.

'_Ichigo'_ smiled Tara as she saw the crying boy look past where Tara was standing and then immediately smile.

Tara turned around and saw a beautiful woman with orange hair walking towards them with her hands open as a laughing Ichigo ran to her.

"Come Ichigo" said his mother as she held out her hand for Ichigo to hold, "it's time to go home."

Tara was surprised at how wide Ichigo's smile was when he saw his mother and when he grabbed her hand.

'_From crying to smiling like a Cheshire cat'_ thought Tara to herself as she looked at Ichigo walking away hand in hand with his mother, _'I haven't seen you smile like that since I've met you, Ichigo. Have your friends seen that smile?'_

As they exited the dojo, Tara noticed everything melting away into another scene by the side of a road near a river bank.

Tara followed the mother and son pair as they were walking on the pavement when suddenly Ichigo stopped and looked at the river bank. Tara turned her head to see what he was looking at and was surprised when she saw a woman at the edge of the river bank who seemed to be ready to jump.

"No" said Tara as she realized that this was the memory that Ichigo told her about, the day his mother died and he become the person she had met in Sunnydale. She then saw Ichigo run down the embankment and instinctively reach out for his hand, which unfortunately went right through the palm of her hand. She then ran as fast as she could after him.

"Ichigo" screamed his mother as Tara turned around to witness the orange haired woman move at great speed towards Ichigo, who had seemed to have been knocked out by something. Tara continued her run as Ichigo's mother jumped back to avoid a clawed hand that hurtled towards her from the darkness of the river.

"Ichigo!" shouted Tara as she looked on horrified at the large creature with the huge mask that was looking at her friend's mother.

'_Grand Fisher'_ thought Tara to herself as she saw something come out from the head of the woman, who had earlier seemed to jump into the river, and attach itself to the head of Grand Fisher. Tara looked on as she saw his mother jump back while carrying Ichigo and lay him down gently onto the grass embankment before she stood up and faced the Hollow.

'_Are you a Soul Reaper too? Are you like Ichigo's father?'_ thought Tara to herself as she walked closer to Ichigo's mother.

Tara then saw his mother hold out her arm as she used her other arm to make a pulling motion, as if she was getting ready to fire an invisible arrow.

"No" said Ichigo's mother in shock, "it can't be."

Tara saw Ichigo's mother making the same motions multiple times without anything happening. It was then that time had seemed to completely slow down for Tara as she saw Ichigo's mother run towards the lying Ichigo, just as the Hollow jumped towards his mother. Tara looked on in wide eyed shock and covered her mouth with both her hands to suppress the sound of her own scream as Grand Fisher used his claws to slash Ichigo's mother's back. Tara looked on in horror as the Hollow then stabbed her again and again until she stopped moving and fell onto the grass, bleeding.

"No!" Tara finally managed to scream as she ran over to the mother who lay bleeding on the grass.

Once she was close by, Tara kneeled next to her body and tried to turn her over but her hands kept on going through the mother, just like earlier when she tried to stop Ichigo.

"Ichigo" said the mother to Tara's surprise as the blonde saw his mother use all her remaining strength to crawl over to her unconscious son until she managed to cover him with her body, "Ichigo, you're ok now. Look after your silly father, and your sisters. I love you."

Tara shed tears as his mother closed her eyes and took her last breath.

"Ichigo" said Tara crying as she tried to reach for the little boy who was lying on the grass unconscious.

"Hello" said a woman's voice from behind Tara, a voice that she had heard before.

Quickly getting up, Tara turned around and suppressed another small scream.

"You…. You… you're…." said Tara nervously.

"Hello Tara" said the smiling woman, "my name is Masaki Kurosaki. I'm Ichigo's mother."

TBC


	23. A Life Saved, a Soul Buried and a Memory

**Somewhere near the East Gate, Seireitei, the same night.**

"Ummm… huh…. What?" said Ichigo as he stepped back.

"You heard me, Ichigo" said Helen as she stood fast with her hands on her hips.

"That's not really a fair question, Helen" said Ichigo as he scratched his head.

"It is fair" said Helen as she put her hands down and walked towards the Substitute Shinigami, "do you have romantic feelings for Tara."

"Helen, she's with Willow" said Ichigo.

"No matter what your answer, I won't see you in a bad light" said Helen.

"I don't think I can answer that, Helen" said Ichigo as he tried to avoid her eyes.

"I see" said Helen sadly, "so are you dead set on hurting Tara by leaving just because Willow told you to?"

"That's not fair" said Ichigo.

"It's a fair question because that's exactly what's going to happen" said Helen which was then she saw the nervousness in Ichigo's aura, "wait a minute, did you tell Tara what Willow said?"

"No" said Ichigo, "how could I? I asked Rukia to use her Kido to heal me. The others don't know what happened."

"Ichigo" said Helen in an exasperated tone of voice, "this isn't exactly what I wanted for my daughter."

"Willow loves Tara" said Ichigo, "she's happy with her."

"She's happy with you too" said Helen softly as she held Ichigo's hands, "how could you promise something like that to Willow without thinking about how it would affect Tara? The both of you are being selfish to the point of ridiculousness."

Just as Helen had finished talking she noticed that a hell butterfly landed on her shoulder. Ichigo saw her look at it before her eyes opened wide in shock.

"Ichigo" said Helen, "we need to go to the Fourth Division headquarters now."

"What's….." said Ichigo.

"No time to explain" said Helen, "my shunpo isn't that great, you can go faster than me."

"You just don't wanna run" said Ichigo.

"Maybe" smirked Helen as she held his hand.

"Tara has that exact same smirk" said Ichigo.

"It's interesting that you noticed" said Helen just as everything blurred around her and she found themselves at the entrance to the headquarters of squad four.

"Doesn't mean anything" smiled Ichigo as Helen let go of his hand.

"Kurosaki-sama" said one of the nurses, "please follow me."

"Sure" said Ichigo as he and Helen ran after the nurse. Ichigo found himself running through various corridors with Helen until they reached a closed door that said Operating Theater One.

"Ichigo" said Dawn who had been sitting alone in a waiting room stood up as soon as he and Helen came into view.

"Dawn" said Ichigo as he went to Dawn and crouched down, "what's going on?"

"They took mom inside the operating room and wouldn't tell me why?" said Dawn as she started to tear up.

"What's going on?" said Ichigo as he turned around and looked at the nurse who had gotten him to come here.

"I'm sorry I could not explain earlier, Little Miss" said the nurse as he looked at Dawn, "but Captain Unohana gave me strict orders to call for Kurosaki-sama before I explained."

"I'm here now" said Ichigo as he put an arm around Dawn's shoulders.

"Me too" said Helen as she stood at Dawn's left side.

"During the medical examination of Mrs. Summers" said the nurse, "Captain Unohana noticed an irregularity. The irregularity was taking place in the same area where her tumour was removed."

"What kind of an irregularity?" asked Helen.

"An aneurysm" said the nurse as he looked at a shocked Dawn before looking at Helen and Ichigo.

"Oh no" said Dawn as she brought her hands and covered her mouth, "No… no.. no.. no…. she can't die."

"Don't worry, little Miss" said the nurse, "both Captain Unohana and Lieutenant Kotetsu are operating on her as we speak. All we ask is for patience; they are doing all they can. One positive is that this was discovered as soon as it was. Captain Unohana believes that it would have ruptured at anytime."

"At anytime?" asked Helen.

"Yes" said the nurse, "it could have even ruptured during the journey here, it could rupture tomorrow or even two weeks from now. Which is why it's good news that it was discovered during the medical."

"Thank you" said Ichigo as the nurse walked through the closed doors and entered the operating room.

"Dawn" said Ichigo as he crouched down again, "Captain Unohana is the best doctor here, she'll be able to help Joyce."

"What if she can't?" said Dawn.

"She can and….." said Ichigo as he just realized something, "Inoue!"

"Huh?" said Dawn.

Dawn looked on as he took out the phone provided by Urahara, and made a call.

"Toshiro" said Ichigo.

"Kurosaki" said Hitsugaya, "I told you….."

"I know, I know" said Ichigo, "I need you to bring Inoue to Soul Society immediately."

"What's wrong?" said Hitsugaya as he straightened up.

"Don't tell Buffy or her friends anything but her mother has an aneurysm in the brain" said Ichigo, "Captain Unohana is operating now but…"

"I see" said Hitsugaya, "I believe she is with Kuchiki, I'll ask her to bring Orihime to you immediately."

"Thanks" said Ichigo.

"Good luck" said Hitsugaya as he disconnected the call.

**Fourth Division Headquarters, 30 minutes later.**

Helen and Ichigo were sitting with a despondent Dawn in the waiting room outside the Operating room when Ichogo heard a familiar voice.

"Kurosaki-kun" said Inoue as she and Rukia were running towards them.

"Ichigo" said Rukia, "we came as fast as we could."

"What's going on?" asked Dawn.

"Inoue will try to help Joyce" said Ichigo as he reached for the call button.

"Yes?" said the voice on the intercom unit on the wall.

"This is Ichigo Kurosaki, please inform Captain Unohana that Orihime Inoue is here to help if needed."

"Very well, one moment" said the voice.

"Come on" said Ichigo as he looked at the tears running down Dawn's face.

After what seemed like hours the doors to the operating room opened and Captain Unohana walked out with Lieutenant Kotetsu.

"Unohana-san" said Ichigo as Helen and Dawn also stood up.

"Kurosaki-san, Inoue-san" said Unohana, "thank you for coming."

"It wasn't a problem" said Inoue.

"Miss Summers" said Captain Unohana as she approached Dawn and sat beside her, "we managed to remove the aneurysm."

"Thank you" said Dawn as she gave a very surprised Unohana a very tight hug, "so she's alright now?"

"Yes" said Unohana, "and I was going to suggest that Inoue-san be called to use her powers to reverse any other damage that was done to her."

"What do you mean?" said Dawn as she looked at Inoue.

"Please" said Unohana as she looked at the group of people, "come with me."

The whole group walked in and saw Joyce lying on a bed in one of the post operative areas. They saw that her head was bandaged again, but she was fully awake.

"Dawn" smiled Joyce as the younger Summers ran to her and have her a big hug.

"Thank you, Captain" said Joyce as she looked at Unohana.

"It was my pleasure, Mrs. Summers" said Unohana.

"Mrs. Summers" said Inoue as she stepped forward, "I'm here to provide an extra layer of help for Captain Unohana."

"OK" said Joyce.

"Dawn" said Ichigo, "wanna stand by me while Inoue helps out Joyce."

"Mom?" said Dawn, unsure about what was going on.

"It's ok" said Joyce.

Dawn then let go of Joyce and walked towards Ichigo before she stood next to him and looked as Inoue approached her mother's bed.

"Please be calm" said Inoue, "This won't hurt one bit."

"Alright" said Joyce as she lay down relaxed.

"Soten Kisshun, I reject" said Inoue as she brought her hands to her hair pins which gave a little glow.

Dawn and Helen looked on with their mouths wide open as Inoue's hairpins glowed and something seemed to come out of them, and fly on top of Joyce before creating what looked like an orange coloured energy barrier.

"Ichigo" said Helen, "what's she doing?"

"That's Inoue's healing technique" said Ichigo.

"How?" asked Dawn, "I didn't even hear her say a spell."

"She used to say the names of the spirits that are handling the technique" said Ichigo proudly as he looked at Inoue, "but after a lot of practise, she doesn't have to. She just calls out the name of the technique…. And well."

"But, healing?" said Helen.

"Yes" replied Rukia.

"The Soten Kisshun, from what Inoue described to us, is that it creates an energy field that surrounds something and returns it to the way it was before it was destroyed. It rejects, reverses, and reconstructs phenomena that have occurred, even phenomena that she hasn't witnessed" said Rukia.

"That's not possible" said Helen.

"It's possible for her" said Ichigo, "she's saved my life and the lives of my friends. She even saved the lives of our enemies."

"When Aizen kidnapped her and took her to Hueco Mundo, she told us that he described this aspect of her powers as 'The Rejection of Events'" said Ichigo, "she can limit, reject, and negate any kind of event that has happened to anyone she targets. And no matter what happened to them, her ability can return her target to its former state."

"She was the one?" said Helen, "her kidnapping was what started the full fledged war?"

"What war?" asked Dawn as she looked at Helen.

"How about I'll tell you about it if your mom agrees?" said Helen.

"Sure" said Dawn.

"Her power is far more powerful than simple 'Temporal Regression' or 'Spatial Regression'" said Rukia, "according to that bastard Aizen, it's a power that trespasses into God's territory."

"She's that powerful?" asked Helen.

"She can attack using her powers as well" said Ichigo, "and from how she described it, the attacking potency is extremely powerful. It can cut through anything."

"But?" said Helen.

"Inoue is a person who dislikes combat and the use of lethal force; it's that hesitancy that can blunt the force of her attacks, making it extremely weak" said Ichigo, "and no, I'm not disparaging her, far from it actually. She'd rather defend her friends, strangers and even her enemies from others. That's what makes her one of the most powerful people I know."

"Unohana-san" said Inoue as her healing power disengaged by itself and returned to her hair pins, "it's completed."

"Isane?" said Unohana as her lieutenant brought out a scanner to compare some before and after readings of scans.

"Inoue-san" said Unohana, "your powers are just as amazing as ever."

"Thank you" said Inoue quietly as she walked back to stand next to Ichigo.

"Good job" whispered Ichigo as Inoue simply smiled and nodded.

"Captain Unohana?" said Rukia.

"She's fine" said Unohana as she compared the two scans.

"Are… are you sure?" said Dawn as she walked to her mother and held her hand.

"Yes" said Unohana as she showed Dawn and Joyce the two scans.

"As you can see, the aneurysm is gone as is the damage that it caused to some parts of your brain" said Unohana, "plus you had a growth on your left lung and some minor blockages in your heart, which has now vanished from the new scans as well."

"Wow" said Joyce as she looked at Inoue.

"Wow is right" said Helen as she looked at Inoue as well.

"Thank you" said Inoue with a small bow.

"Thank you so much" said Dawn as she ran over to Inoue and hugged her tightly, "I don't know what I… what me and Buffy would have done if we lost her."

"It's no problem" said Inoue, "but the one you really should be thanking is Captain Unohana, without her the aneurysm would have gone undetected."

"Thank you again, Captain" said Dawn as she hugged Unohana.

"It was my pleasure" said the Captain.

"Ichigo, Inoue" said Rukia, "we need to go. We're still waiting on word as to Glory's location, once we find it. We'll be making a move."

"Let's go" said Ichigo.

"Ichigo" said Joyce, "can I talk to you?"

"Ummm… sure" said Ichigo as he looked at Inoue and Rukia, "you guys go to the other side first; I'll join the both of you at the meeting place."

"Alright" said Rukia, "come on Inoue."

"Yep" said Inoue as she started to run with Rukia but not before looking back at Ichigo, "see you Kurosaki-kun."

"See ya" smiled Ichigo.

"Joyce?" said Ichigo as he turned to the Summers matriarch.

"Just wanted to give you a thank you hug" said Joyce as she hugged Ichigo, "you protected Dawn and saved my life."

"Don't worry" said Ichigo, "Helen will be here to watch over you guys."

"Yes" said Helen, "you'll be staying with me in one of the guest houses in the thirteenth division's compound. You'll be under the direct protection of not only Captain Ukitake but the other captains as well."

"Yes" said Captain Unohana, "now, I ask that you rest for a few hours before you are due to leave."

"Alright" said Joyce, "would it be alright if Dawn stayed with me?"

"Of course" said Unohana.

"Kurosaki-san, Miss Maclay" said Unohana, "I'll see you later."

"Of course, Captain" said Helen as she gave Unohana a slight bow.

"Bye, Unohana-san" said Ichigo as he saw the Captain walk away with her lieutenant.

"I'll see you, Joyce" said Ichigo.

"Good luck" said Joyce, "and please watch over Buffy and the others."

"Of course" said Ichigo as he glanced over at Helen before heading out the door.

"Hey" said Dawn as she ran to Ichigo and gave him a tight hug, "thanks."

"No problem" said Ichigo as she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"You know how long I've wanted to do that?" whispered Dawn.

"I wouldn't know" smiled Ichigo, "take care of Joyce alright?"

"I will" said Dawn as she hugged him again, "be careful."

"I'll try" said Ichigo as he turned around and headed towards the exit.

"Ichigo" said Helen as she walked out with him to the waiting room, "please remember what I said about Tara, please don't hurt her."

"I… I'll try my best" said Ichigo.

"Thank you" said Helen as she kissed his cheek, "watch over her."

"I will" replied Ichigo as the both of them turned around and went their separate ways; Helen walked back into the room which contained Joyce and Dawn, and Ichigo heading towards the Spirit Exchanger.

'_I'm sorry I lied, Helen'_ thought Ichigo to himself as he sped towards his target_, 'I do have feelings for your daughter, but I can't ever tell her because she won't ever let go of Willow. They love each other and I don't want to do anything to harm that. I have no choice but to leave, even if I never see Tara again and even if it hurts her and hurts me. I just hope that after I leave, you and Tara can find it in your hearts to forgive me.'_

**Giles' Apartment, the same night**

"No!" said Giles as he looked at Xander and took out a crucifix from a chest of drawers next to the wall, "Xander, get the Book of Exorcisms from the shelf downstairs, it's on the bottom to the extreme right, quickly."

"You sure?" said a stunned Xander as he slowly made his way to the door.

"Yes" said Giles, "this thing isn't Jenny Calendar, go quick."

"Oh for God's sake, Rupert" said Jenny, "it's me."

"No" said Giles, "Xander go!"

"Xander!" said Jenny, "you better stay or I'll haunt your new apartment."

"Wait, what?" said Xander.

"Rupert" said Jenny as she slowly got up from the bed, "it really is me. Don't you recognize these clothes? You bought them for me the day before…. Well….. the day before….."

"You died" said Giles, still in shock.

"Yes" said Jenny.

"Umm… maybe I should leave?" said Xander.

"Please stay" said Jenny as she looked at Xander, "you have no idea what it's like for me to know that you can see me."

"How are you here?" said Giles, "you died almost three years ago."

"And what's that on your chest?" said Xander as Giles and Jenny looked at him, "I mean not that I'm looking at your chest or anything.. I mean not that you don't have a nice chest.. you do.. .but…."

"Shut up, Xander" said Giles as Jenny just blushed.

"Sorry" said Xander as he just scratched his head nervously.

"But he's right" said Giles as he pointed to the metallic plate on Jenny's chest, "What is that? Looks like it's attached to some kind of a chain."

"It's my Chain of Fate" said Jenny, "it used to be very long, but over the years it's been shortened considerably."

"Jenny" said Giles as his eyes started to water, "why haven't you moved on?"

"I still have things to do" said Jenny.

"Wait" said Xander, "how about Ichigo and the other Soul Reapers here? Didn't they say one of their jobs was to help ghosts to move on?"

"You met a Soul Reaper?" said Jenny surprised.

"Yes" said Xander, "One of them's a friend."

"I see" smiled Jenny.

"Jenny" said Giles as he sat beside her on the bed, "what unfinished business do you have left?"

"I just finished it" said Jenny with a smile, "the final business I had was to get to say goodbye to you, Rupert."

"Alright" said Xander, "I'm gone."

"Wait, Xander" said Jenny, "stay."

"But…" said Xander as he looked at Giles.

"Tell me about your life" said Jenny as she patted the spot beside her and motioned for him to sit down before looking at Giles, "I want to know about both your lives, and then I can happily move on."

So that's what they did, the two lovers and Xander spend the entire night talking about the adventures they had with Buffy and the others while Jenny told them about what she had been up to. It didn't surprise them one bit when she said that she too had been aware of what was going and that she was watching over both Willow and Giles.

"Look at the time" said Jenny as she saw the sunlight filter through the curtain.

"It's morning already?" asked Giles as he opened the curtains and looked out.

"Looks like it" said Jenny as she finally stood up and walked towards Giles.

"Xander's asleep" said Giles as he saw Xander lying on his carpeted floor, fast asleep.

"Yep" said Jenny smiling as she held Giles' hands, "Rupert, its time."

"You really have to go?" said Giles as his voice slightly broke.

"Yes" said a tearful Jenny, "once this chain is gone, I'll turn into a monster."

"A hollow" said Giles as he recalled what Rukia had told them.

"Yes" said Jenny, "the other ghosts here just call them monsters and run when they come near. But since I can sense a Soul Reaper coming this way, its time I left. I've stayed in this plane of existence for far too long"

"Jenny" said Giles as he tightened his hold on her hands.

"Hey" said Xander as he stirred awake, "its morning already?"

"Morning sleepy head" said Jenny smiling.

"Xander" said Giles, "Jenny's ready to go."

"Oh" said Xander as he quickly got up.

"I love you, Rupert" said Jenny as she kissed and hugged the watcher, "I'll always remember you."

"Don't go" said Giles' as he held her tightly.

"Once I turn into a monster" said Jenny, "I'll come after you, I've seen it happen to other ghosts and I don't want that to happen to you."

"I'll always love you" she whispered into Giles' ear.

"I'll always love you too" said Giles as he let go of Jenny, who stepped back before turning to face Xander.

"Xander" said Jenny as she hugged the boy, "I've seen the love you have for that Anya girl, get married and be happy. You don't get many chances for love on the Hellmouth."

"I know" said Xander.

"You deserve happiness" said Jenny, "Tell Buffy and Willow that they're always in my thoughts and that I miss them. Tell them that I don't expect to see them for a very long time."

"I will" replied Xander as he released the ghost of his friend.

"Oh" said Jenny as she turned to Giles, "before I forget, please call Angel. Tell him that I forgive him for killing me. I know that he wasn't himself, and I mean that literally. Promise me."

"I promise" said Giles as he nodded while tears came out of his eyes.

Jenny then looked up at the ceiling and breathed deeply before going out the bedroom door.

"It's time guys" said Jenny as Giles and Xander followed her down the stairs.

Giles then opened the front door as the three of them walked out into the bright sunlight.

"I wonder what the afterlife will be like?" said Jenny.

"It will be wonderful" said Rukia as she shunpo'd in front of Jenny.

"Thank you" said Jenny as she turned around one final time and looked at Giles, "and goodbye."

"I'm ready" said Jenny as she turned back and faced Rukia who was taking out her sword, "will it hurt?"

"No" said Rukia as she stamped Jenny's head with the hilt of Sode no Shirayuki.

"It feels so warm" said Jenny as Giles and Xander saw her body sink into a blue light, "it's beautiful."

"You'll be at home in Soul Society" said Rukia, "don't worry at all."

Giles and Xander looked on as the blue light, along with Jenny's body disappeared, and saw a black butterfly take off into the sky, before it too vanished.

"Wow" said Xander, "is that…?"

"That was a soul burial" said Rukia, "she's in Soul Society now. She had some power, didn't she?"

"Some" said Giles.

"I see" replied Rukia as she looked at the two people in front of her and noticed that someone was missing, "where's the vampire."

"That's right" said Giles as he looked around, "I believe Spike didn't come back last night."

"Probably he's his in crypt sleeping" said Xander.

"I'll send someone to get him tonight" said Rukia, "in the meantime, pack some essential items with you. The both of you will be staying at the Slayer's residence from now on until Glory's defeated."

"Why?" asked Xander.

"Easier to protect all of you" said Rukia, "quick, I'll wait and then take you two there."

"Alright" said Giles as he went inside to pack some clothes.

"What about me?" asked Xander.

"We'll stop by your home too" said Rukia.

"Great" replied Xander.

**The Summers Residence,**** Tara's Dreamscape.**

"Wa…. Wait" said Tara as she stepped back while looking at the woman claiming to be Ichigo's mother.

"Don't be scared, Tara" said Masaki.

"Bu… but you died" said Tara as she looked behind her and saw nothing there, Ichigo and Masaki's dead body was gone. Looking around her, she noticed that it had stopped raining and it was already sunlight streaming through the clouds.

"Yes" said Masaki sadly.

"Then how….?" Asked Tara as her voice started to tremble.

"Ichigo" said Masaki as she turned to look at the river embankment.

Tara turned to see where Masaki was looking at and saw Ichigo, the small boy, walking down the embankment with his backpack and just walking along the river bank by himself. Tara looked on as he wandered around before sitting down for awhile and then walking around again.

"What's he doing?" asked Tara.

"He's looking for me" said Masaki as she passed Tara and kneeled in front of a despondent Ichigo, "he's hoping to find my soul here. He spent days like this, he even missed a lot of school. Eventually his father and sisters convinced him that he wasn't the only one in pain, that his pain affected them as well. Isshin, my husband, asked him to smile again and come back home."

"I…I'm sorry about what happened to you" said Tara, "b… but that still…."

"I know" said Masaki as she stood up, but not before giving the image of Ichigo a kiss on his forehead before he simply vanished, "I'm the memory of Masaki Kurosaki that's been imprinted in Ichigo's reiatsu."

"You mean…." Said Tara.

"When you siphoned off Ichigo's reiatsu" said Masaki, "you also siphoned the memories that were buried deep in them."

"That man, Urahara, he said that reiatsu are alive" said Tara as she looked at Masaki and walked towards her slowly, "that they hold memories."

"And he was right" said Masaki with a smile, "don't worry, Ichigo still has the memory of Masaki, the memories of me, within his reiatsu but he's not ready yet."

"I don't really know what that means" said Tara.

"All you need to know is that I'm here as a guide" said Masaki, "a guide for you, as you go through my son's memories."

"You… you think of Ichigo as your son?" asked Tara.

"Yes" said Masaki, "I may be only a memory of Masaki Kurosaki, but I still hold the love she had for him. He is my son in every which way that matters."

"He's a wonderful person" said Tara as she stepped towards Masaki.

"He is" said Masaki as Tara noticed her surroundings change again and she found herself on a street facing a house with an attached small building that had a green sign on top that read 'Kurosaki Clinic'.

"Home" said Masaki as she turned towards the building and smiled before looking at Tara, "you've wanted to know Ichigo's story?"

"Yes" said Tara, "Bu…. But…. I… I've been afraid to ask."

"He faced a lot of trials and hopeless situations" said Masaki as the both of them saw Rukia slip into the second floor of the house, "but he's overcome them all."

Tara smiled when she heard Ichigo's voice as the light in his room switched on and he shouted at Rukia.

"It wasn't fate that he meets Rukia" said Masaki to Tara's surprise, "in fact, all of this was orchestrated from a long time ago, by a madman."

"Who?" asked Tara,

"You'll see him in Ichigo's memories later" said Masaki when suddenly Tara turned around as she heard a terrifying scream.

"That's… That's a Hollow" said Tara as she stepped back and walked closer to Masaki.

"Don't be afraid" said Masaki as she looked at the Hollow that was approaching the house, "he can't harm us, just remember that these are Ichigo's memory playing out exactly as they did in real life."

Tara looked on in horror as the Hollow slammed his hands into the house and injured Ichigo's middle sister, who she saw had struggled to go up the stairs.

"She's going to Ichigo's room" said Masaki.

"Doesn't Rukia sense that Hollow?" asked Tara.

"She can't" said Masaki, "Ichigo's reiatsu is so great that it's actually hiding the Hollows own reiatsu. Rukia wouldn't be able to sense it until the absolute last moment."

"No" said Tara as she ran into the broken house, "Ichigo!"

"Tara!" said Masaki as she ran after her, "wait, there's nothing you can do."

"I have to try" said Tara as she tried to pick up a chair to hit the hollow with, just as it picked up Ichigo's other sister.

"It's only a memory" said Masaki as she saw Tara's hands go through the chair, "but, thank you for trying to save Yuzu."

It was then that Tara turned and looked at the stairs as she heard Ichigo's voice.

"Yuzu!" shouted Ichigo as he fell down the stairs after Rukia had run down.

"What's going on?" asked Tara, "why are Ichigo's hands behind his back?"

"Rukia used the Bakudo number one on him to restrain him" said Masaki as she looked at Tara, "he tried to kick her."

"Oh" said Tara as she saw Ichigo slowly stand up.

"It's impossible for a normal human being to break out of any binding kido on their own" said Masaki as she pointed towards Ichigo's direction.

"He… he's doing it" said Tara

"Stop it!" Tara heard Rukia shout as she looked at Ichigo while he struggled to get up, "you can't break that kido under your own power, if you do…. Your soul will….."

Tara watched as Rukia shielded her eyes when there was a bright flash caused by Ichigo breaking the mystical bonds by himself, before he picked up a chair and ran towards the Hollow.

"She… she's shocked" said Tara as she saw Rukia staring at Ichigo before running after him.

"This is the first time she's seen something like this" said Masaki as she and Tara ran to the street outside and saw Ichigo squaring up to the Hollow, "the first time she's seen someone like my son."

Tara looked on as Rukia cut the Hollow's arm that was holding Yuzu as it screamed in pain before letting her go right into Ichigo's arms.

"Boy" said Rukia to Ichigo as she held out her sword and faced the Hollow, "don't lose focus."

"You see Tara" said Masaki as she put her hand on Tara's shoulder, "the Hollow was really targeting Ichigo, the others were just collateral damage."

"Because of his high reiatsu?" asked Tara as she looked at the scene unfolding before her just as Rukia was swept aside by the Hollow and Ichigo, after finding out the truth from Rukia, dared it to eat his Soul and leave his family alone.

"What's he doing?" said Tara as she looked at Masaki, "is he crazy?"

"He thought that the Hollow would go away after it ate his soul" said Masaki, "but….."

"He's a hot head?" said Tara as she looked at the Hollow lunging at Ichigo.

"Yes" said Masaki just as Rukia stepped up in front of the Hollow as it bit down on her body.

"Rukia!" said Tara as she and Masaki ran towards the black haired Shinigami who was now gravely injured.

"Tara" said Masaki as she looked at the blonde woman kneeling next to the memory of Rukia. She saw Tara look at the anguish in Ichigo's face as Rukia told him that he was a fool to think that the Hollow would just leave after eating his soul.

"Ichigo" said Tara as she looked at the orange haired boy and the pain in his eyes as he realized the hopelessness of the situation they were in.

"Do you want to save your family?" asked Rukia as Tara looked on after the blonde had stood up and stepped back to stand next to Masaki.

"Can that be done?" asked Ichigo, "How? Tell me."

"This is the time Ichigo needs to decide whether to become a Shinigami or not" said Masaki.

"I don't understand" said Tara, "he's already a Shinigami."

"He isn't one yet" said Masaki, "he's a pure human now; but to save Isshin, Yuzu, Karin and Rukia, he'll have to risk his life on an uncertainty."

"What do you…..?" said Tara as Masaki interrupted her.

"Take a look" said Masaki as Tara looked at Rukia who had held out her sword.

"Pierce the middle of your chest with this Zanpaktou, and I will insert half of my power" said Rukia as she pointed the sword at Ichigo's chest, "You will attain the power of a Shinigami temporarily and will be able to fight the Hollow. I do not know if this will succeed, all I can tell you is that if it does fail then you will die."

"What?" said Tara as she looked at Masaki.

"He told you didn't he" said Masaki, "that he wanted power to protect everyone, everywhere. He wanted the power to protect his family and friends."

"Yes" said Tara, "but at the risk of his own life?"

"What would you have done?" asked Masaki as she looked at Tara, "would you take the risk? Or would you let the people you love die? Would you do anything different than my son?"

"Give me your sword, Shinigami" said Ichigo as he approached Rukia just as Tara saw the Hollow getting ready to make another lunge, "let's give your idea a try."

"It's not Shinigami, my name is Rukia Kuchiki."

"I'm Ichigo Kurosaki, let's hope this isn't the last time we greet each other."

Tara looked on in horror as Rukia pushed her sword through Ichigo's chest just as the Hollow came upon them. She then covered her face with her hand as an enormous energy wave approached her from the vicinity of swirling white smoke which covered both Ichigo and Rukia. When the smoke had cleared she saw a sword come down and cut off one of the Hollow's arms.

"Zangetsu" said Tara as she looked at Masaki, "why does his sword look different?"

"You'll find out soon, Tara" said Masaki as Ichigo jumped into the air before bringing down Zangetsu and slashing it through the Hollow's mask, disintegrating it.

"He risked his life to shoulder this burden?" said Tara as she turned towards Masaki.

"Yes" said Masaki, "and he'd do it again if he could repeat his life."

"Even though…" said Tara.

"Even though he'll face a lot of problems, a lot of issues and a lot of enemies" said Masaki, "he'll fight on with everything he's got. And he'll make sacrifices along the way."

"I don't know what to say" said Tara.

"Well, you'll have time to decide what you want to say" said Masaki as she stifled a yawn before smiling at the blonde, "you should probably wake up now."

"Huh?" said Tara confused.

"I'll be around" said Masaki and she turned around just as Tara's surroundings became all white, "the three of us will be here to guide you. You need to know his story to understand what he's been through. What you may have to eventually go through, what your friends would have to eventually go through."

"Masaki, wait" said Tara, "what do you mean? What others? What will my friends and I go through?"

"Wake up" said another voice as Masaki smiled and waved.

"Tara?" said Willow's voice as Tara slowly opened her eyes, "it's eleven in the morning, you need to get up."

"It's eleven?" said Tara as she looked at Willow.

"Yeah" said Willow, "had a good dream?"

"I guess" said Tara as she sat up, "it was… I don't know."

"Maybe you wanna talk about it?" said a smiling Willow.

"It's… ummmm… private" said Tara.

"Alright" said Willow as she kissed Tara's cheek, "come on, Buffy made breakfast with Anya. Pancakes. Giles and Xander are here to, they have a story that you just have to hear to believe."

"Sure" said Tara, "I'll be right down."

"Ok" said Willow as she opened the door and ran down the stairs.

'_I need to talk to Ichigo'_ thought Tara to herself, _'I just hope he's returned from Soul Society.'_

TBC


	24. The Armour

**The Summers Residence, 11:30am**

"Hey" said Willow as she saw Tara walking down the stairs.

"Morning" said Tara as she looked at Willow, "how'd you sleep?"

"Had a sleep over in Buffy's room watching movies" grinned Willow, "had a marathon."

"Really?" smiled Tara as she reached the last landing and walked with the red head into the kitchen.

"Morning" said Xander, Giles and Anya who were sitting at the island in the middle of the kitchen.

"Morning" smiled Tara as she saw them cheerfully having breakfast.

"Pancakes?" asked Anya as she handed Tara a plate of the warm breakfast food.

"Sure" replied Tara as she looked around, "where's Buffy?"

"She's outside" said Giles a he pointed to the door that led to the back yard, "I think she's just having some coffee on her god-awful lawn furniture."

"It's not that bad" said Anya, "I helped to pick it out, just so you know."

"No you didn't" said Willow.

"Has anyone see… seen Ichigo?" asked Tara as she looked at how quiet everyone suddenly became, "what's wrong? He's back from Soul Society, right?"

"I'm not sure" said Giles, "other than this morning when we saw Rukia, we haven't seen the other Soul Reapers anywhere."

"Oh" said Tara.

"Maybe they're having their own meeting or something" said Willow.

"Yeah" said Tara as she looked down at her plate, "maybe."

"Everything alright?" asked Willow as she sat next to her girlfriend.

"Yeah" replied Tara as she looked at Willow before looking back at Giles, "so Willow said that you had some news?"

"Oh yea" said an excited Xander, "we saw the ghost of one of my teachers who was killed by Angelus."

"Really?" said Tara.

"Yes" said Giles nervously as he took off his glasses, "she….. she was there to say goodbye."

"Oh" said Tara.

"She said that her unfinished business was to say goodbye to the G-man here" said Xander as he placed a hand gently on Giles' shoulder, "and they talked the whole night."

"Yes" said Giles as he gave a little smile, "we did. She even asked me to call Angel in L.A. to tell him that she forgives him."

"Oh" said Tara, "did you?"

"Yes" said Giles, "that's the first thing I did once Rukia dropped us off here. Suffice it to say, he was shell shocked and thought I was playing a sick joke. But after some explanation about what was going on here, he understood and even offered to bring his team here to help out."

"Speaking of which" said Willow, "what did he say? Is he coming?"

"Buffy talked to him" said Giles, "she told him to stay in L.A for the time being, just in case that we're unsuccessful. She asked him to be the second line of defence in case we failed against Glory."

"But we have Ichigo and the others here" said Tara.

"Yes" said Giles, "but the truth is we don't really know much about them, we don't know how powerful they really are."

"Willow?" said Tara.

"I have to agree with Giles on this" said the red head, "I mean, yeah we saw that Yoruichi lady shoot a lightning bolt through the snake demon and then Rukia freeze the magical barrier but we don't really know how they would go against a god, even if she is trapped in a human body."

"You know" said Anya, "I think they'll be able to help. I mean they are gods themselves."

"You were scared of Ichigo" said Willow as she stared at Anya.

"Yes" said Anya, "that's because of all the stories I heard about Soul Reapers from other Vengeance Demons and his role in the war."

"Wait" said Giles as he put a hand up, "what war? The Council hasn't told us anything about a war being fought."

"You wouldn't have felt it" said Anya excitedly, "but ask any demon, vampire or higher being and they'd tell you they felt the massive amounts of power being released. I'm sure even Glory, even if she is in a human shell, felt it."

"Anya" said Tara, "maybe we should let Ichigo explain."

"Tara" said Giles, "has he spoken to you about it?"

"Yes" said Tara softly.

"Wait" said Anya, "you know about it?"

"He told me some of what happened" said Tara, "but you'd have to ask him about the details, he… he doesn't like to talk about it."

"Of course not" said Anya, "I mean he's the hero of the war with…"

"Anya" said Tara as she stared at the ex-vengeance demon.

"He's a hero of a war?" said Willow as she looked at both Tara and Anya, "a war that none of us have ever heard of? Come on Tara, the both of us are powerful witches in our own right and even we would have been able to feel that amount of power being unleashed."

"What's with you, Willow?" said Tara, "why are you being like this?"

"All I'm saying is that we should be careful" said Willow as she turned to look at Giles, "have any of your sources mentioned this so-called war?"

"I'm afraid not" said Giles, "although I could try and delve deeper. Ask some of my more.. ummm… unsavoury contacts."

"Or maybe you could just ask me after all of this is done" said Ichigo who was back in his physical body, Rukia and Inoue as they walked into the kitchen.

"Ichigo, you… you're back" said Tara as she stood up, "we… we… didn't hear you come in."

"Yeah" said Ichigo as he looked at Tara and then at Willow, "I used the key that Joyce gave me to open the door. I guess you were talking too loud to hear us come in."

"And no" said Rukia as she looked at Giles, "your human contacts wouldn't be able to find anything about the war. It was fought within a barrier to prevent damage to the word of the living, although your vampire friend and other demons or ex-demons, even Glory would know about it."

"Where's Buffy?" said Ichigo.

"She's at the back" said Tara, "but could…."

"Sorry, Tara" said Ichigo as he looked away, "it's pretty urgent that we talk to Buffy. Maybe we can talk later?"

"Ye…. Yes… sure" said Tara as she noticed his aura was getting uneven and she thought to herself, _'What's wrong Ichigo? It's like you don't want to be around me. Are you pushing me away for some reason? Did I do something wrong?'_

'_I'm sorry, Tara'_ thought Ichigo to himself as he passed the blonde witch and walked out the door with Rukia and Inoue.

Tara looked on as Inoue was the last one to pass the threshold of the backdoor, before she stopped and turned around, and faced the rest of the Scoobies.

"The war did happen" said Inoue, "and it was my fault, even though Kurosaki-kun denies it every day, it was still my fault. Because of me, he sacrificed everything to defeat an enemy that would have taken over Soul Society itself."

"It's just hard to….." said Xander as Inoue interrupted him.

"I understand if you are suspicious of Kurosaki-kun's motives" said Inoue as she looked straight at Willow before looking at the others, "but he'll risk his life to save everyone. He's already done it many times, and he'll keep on doing it again and again."

"Buffy died once" said Willow, "and that was to save us too."

"Willow" said Tara as she looked at the red head.

"I see" said Inoue as she gave a small bow to Willow, "then I will thank her for saving everyone."

"Inoue" said Rukia as she walked up behind the orange haired girl, "come on."

"Don't think badly of him" said Inoue as he looked at everyone, "all he wants to do is help."

"Oh" said Rukia as she leaned into the kitchen, "Mr. Giles, could you join us outside? I believe Buffy may need you."

"Of course" said Giles as he walked out into the backyard where Buffy was standing next to Ichigo.

Tara looked on as Inoue turned to her and gave her a smile tinged with sadness before she closed the door.

'_What's going on here?'_ thought Tara as she looked at the others and then at Willow who looked away, _'Willow?'_

**The Summers Residence, Backyard.**

"Buffy" said Ichigo as he stood next to Rukia and Inoue, "Joyce and Dawn safely reached Soul Society."

"Phew" said Buffy as she placed her hand on her chest, "Thank you, Ichigo."

"Why didn't you tell us last night?" asked Giles, "I mean it can't take you that long to travel from here to there, right?"

"Well" said Inoue as she looked at Giles, "that's why we asked you out here as well."

"What's going on?" said Giles, "you said that Joyce and Dawn reached Soul Society safely."

"Yes" said Rukia, "they did."

"I'm sorry I couldn't come yesterday after I got back" said Ichigo as he looked at Buffy, "there were a plethora of Hollows around the city and we had to talk amongst ourselves about an important development."

"What development?" said Buffy.

"The question was whether we should let you know about it, in case it took away focus from the job at hand" said Rukia, "but Ichigo and Inoue made the argument that you should know about what happened so that you don't get worried about your mother and sister; so that you could fight at your fullest."

"Listen" said Ichigo as he stepped towards Buffy and Giles, "they reached Soul Society safely, and since they're staying there for about a month; Joyce and Dawn had to go through a medical examination."

"Joyce's tumour?" said Giles as he realized what Ichigo was trying to say.

"Yes" said Ichigo as he saw the horror on Buffy's face as she held Giles' hand tightly, "when the Captain of the fourth division conducted her exam, she found an aneurysm at the area where the tumour was taken out."

"What?" said Buffy as she lost the strength in her legs and almost collapsed onto the ground, until Ichigo grabbed her and helped to hold her up.

"She's alright" said Rukia, "they got rid of the aneurysm and she's been completely healed."

"Thank God" said Giles as he held on to Buffy's shoulder and squeezed, "she's going to be alright Buffy."

"You could have started with that, Ichigo" said Buffy as she wiped tears from her eyes as Giles put his arms around her shoulders.

"Sorry" said Ichigo as he laughed nervously, "I'm not really great with this kind of stuff."

"But she's completely alright?" asked Giles.

"Yes" said Rukia, "for which you can thank Captain Unohana and Inoue here."

"Orihime" said Giles, "you?"

"Her power is the rejection of events" said Ichigo as he looked at Inoue and smiled, "after she used her power, Captain Unohana showed the 'before and after' scans to Joyce and Dawn. Joyce had some blockages in her heart and a growth near one of her lungs but those are gone now. She's in perfect health."

"No, no, no, Kurosaki-kun" said Inoue as she smiled and shook her head, "Captain Unohana did most of the work, I just helped."

"You helped my mother" said Buffy as she gave Inoue a tight hug, "thank you."

"Inoue" said Ichigo as he put a hand around her shoulders after Buffy released her, "you did a great job back there."

"Tha… thanks" said Inoue blushing before she opened her eyes wide in excitement and approached Buffy and held both of her hands, "you died to save the world, thank you for that."

"You died?" said Rukia as she looked at Buffy in surprise.

"Yes" said Giles, "she went up against a king of vampires called the Master. Unfortunately, there was a prophesy that said that Buffy would die when she faced him."

"But she still went to face him?" said Ichigo.

"Yes" said Giles, "the Master bit her, drowned her and escaped the barrier that was placed around him."

"I see" said Rukia.

"I was dead for only a few minutes" said Buffy, "but Xander did CPR on me and brought me back to life. Then I went on to kill that guy before he could open the Hellmouth."

"And if I understand the rules of the Slayer line" said Rukia as she looked at Buffy, "since you died, then there's another Slayer somewhere."

"You're right" said Giles as he looked at Buffy.

"I don't want to talk about her" said Buffy as he face reflected her anger, "her name was Faith, and tried to ruin my life."

"I see" said Rukia, "but it doesn't matter. All you need to know is that we are close to finding out Glory's location and that your mother and sister are now safe. You should be able to fight with nothing holding you back."

"Thanks" said Buffy as she smiled, "I'd better go back in and tell everyone the good news."

"I'll come with you" said Giles before he turned to Ichigo, Rukia and Inoue, "thank you, again."

Ichigo and the others nodded just as Buffy opened the door and walked into the house.

"Ichigo" said Rukia, "you should do more of your patrols. I'll take Inoue with me and Renji to look for that other vampire, the one with the silver hair."

"Ok" said Ichigo as Rukia headed for the door in the backyard that led to the street outside.

"Kurosaki-kun" said Inoue as she looked at Ichigo, "are you alright?"

"Yea" said Ichigo as he looked at the Summers house.

"You have feelings for her, don't you?" said Inoue softly as she looked at the house too.

"How did you….?" Said Ichigo as he saw the smile on Inoue's face, "you know, you've always known me too well."

"Thank you" said Inoue, "but you never answered my question."

"Yea" replied Ichigo as he scratched his head, "but I made two promises during the time I was here."

"Oh?" said Inoue.

"I'm afraid that I'll be breaking one of them" said Ichigo.

"I see" said Inoue.

"After we're done with Glory" said Ichigo, "I'll be going back to Karakura Town with you guys."

"You shouldn't" said Inoue as Ichigo walked with her to the yard gate, "you should stay for her, if you leave then it would make her upset."

"I thought…" said Ichigo as Inoue held his hands and faced him.

"If you're happy with her" said Inoue, "then I'll be happy too."

"Inoue" said Ichigo, "she doesn't feel the same."

"I can only guess that Willow must have told you something" said Inoue as Ichigo looked at her in surprise, "I was there when she came out from the back room remember? I'm not that stupid."

"I never said you were" said Ichigo, "although your choices for food recipes were always a bit… unique."

"I never heard you complain" said Inoue with a smile, "anyway, do you think that leaving this city just because of what one girl said is reason enough to leave another girl upset?"

"I can't break them up, Inoue" said Ichigo as they reached the spot where Rukia was waiting for Inoue.

"Kurosaki-kun" said Inoue, "I just want you to be happy, and if you think that coming back to Karakura would make you happy, then I'd support your decision. If staying here makes you happy, then I would support that too."

"You know" said Ichigo as he hugged Inoue and kissed her on the cheek, "have I ever told you that you're the best?"

"Always" said Inoue as they hugged some more before Rukia held Inoue's hand.

"Ready?" asked Rukia as she looked at Inoue.

"Yes" she replied as the both of them shunpo'd away, leaving Ichigo to walk the opposite direction towards the dorms.

**Sunnydale Memorial Graveyard, 9:10pm**

"This is going to be one quiet night" said Buffy to herself as she walked among the silent graves of the dead of Sunnydale.

"Evening Pet" said Spike as he came up from behind her.

"Damn it, Spike" said Buffy, "where the hell were you the whole day?"

"Away from your new friends, luv" said Spike.

"Yeah" said Buffy, "they were searching all over for you, we even thought that maybe Glory had taken you."

"Really?" said Spike.

"But then Xander said that she may not even have a use for you since Dawn is not even in Sunnydale anymore" said Buffy, "hell she's not even on Earth or this dimension anymore."

"Gee" said Spike, "your thinking of my demise gives me the goosebumbs."

"I don't want to know about any of your bumps" said Buffy in disgust.

"Really?" said Spike, "maybe we could see if we can go bump in the night, what do you say?"

"You're a pig, Spike" said Buffy.

"Come on" said Spike, "you know you'll like it."

"Shut up" said Buffy as she suddenly stopped and turned to look at some trees.

"Don't tell me to shut it" said Spike, "it's a free country and if I want to shout some nonsensical sexual stuff that I like to…"

"Spike" said Buffy as she put her hand over his mouth, "please for all that is holy, well in your case unholy, please shut up."

"OK" said Spike as he took her hand of his mouth, "what?"

"Do you hear that?" said Buffy.

"What?" said Spike as a clawed hand swiped at him from behind.

"Shit" said Spike as the hand connected with him and he went flying through a tombstone.

"What the…" said Buffy as she looked behind her to see what could only be described as two gigantic praying mantises wearing white masks.

"Spike" said Buffy as she ducked another attack from one of the Hollows as the other one went after Spike.

"What the hell?" said Spike as he got up in full vampire mode and glared at the Hollow in front of him, "I was talking you know."

"Crap" said Spike as he got smashed through another gravestone and slowly got up as the Hollow came towards him, "Ok, now I'm mad."

"Spike" said Buffy, "be careful."

"Right" said Spike to himself as he ducked a swipe of the Hollow's claws, "now she gets worried."

"Hey" said Buffy as she looked at her attacker, "you know, I killed one of your kind that was pretending to be a teacher who tried to have sex with a friend of mine. Is this is revenge for that? I mean if is, its kinda sad, don't you think."

Buffy jumped to avoid another slash from the Hollow's claws before she made a run towards it and threw her stake at it.

"Yeah" said Buffy as the stake just hit the white mask of the Hollow harmlessly and fell onto the grass, "I was kinda hoping that would work."

Buffy then ran towards it again and avoided its claws before she realized she was close to it and gave it a solid punch. Thanks to the punch, the hollow was pushed back a bit as it gave a loud scream that made both Spike and Buffy cover their ears in pain.

As she slowly got back up, Buffy saw something like a portal open up close to her and another two of the praying mantis hollows come through.

"Oh hell" said Buffy as she ran towards Spike and helped him up, "come on."

"Buffy" said Spike as another two Hollows appeared in front of them as they blocked any escape, "ummm…. any ideas?"

"Two against six" said Buffy as they surrounded both her and Spike, "its just not fair."

"You can do six vamps" said Spike.

"This is something different…. Don't… you… crap" said Buffy as she suddenly doubled over in pain.

"Slayer?" said Spike as he saw Buffy double over onto the grass screaming in pain as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"Buffy" said Spike as he kneeled down next to her, "what's wrong?"

"I'm in pain, you asshole!" screamed Buffy as she rolled on the grass, "what the fuck do you think!"

Spike kept on hearing her screams until he suddenly saw movement next to him as one of the hollows swung its claws at his head. But he managed to just duck and roll out of the way until he was near a headstone. Taking it out of the ground, he threw the heavy tablet at the Hollow in front of him as hard as he could. He smirked as the headstone hit the Hollow head on before he ran towards another headstone which he used to launch himself at the hollow he had already hit. His jump was true, as he landed on the Hollow's head, and began to use his fists to pummel it.

"Come on" said Spike as he struggled to stay on the hollow as it kept on trying to remove him from its head. Upon remembering that a Hollow can be defeated if its mask was broken or destroyed, he started to hit the mask even harder while still struggling to stay on.

Thanks to the pain, Buffy could barely open her eyes. But when she did, she saw Spike on the head of one of the Hollows as it tried to get his off its head.

"Spike" said Buffy as she screamed again in pain.

Buffy rolled around as she felt her entire body burning from the inside, as if something was trying to get out.

"Buffy!" screamed Spike as he managed to land a hard punch that cracked the mask of the Hollow he was on just before it swiped its claws at him and flung him into the ground next to her.

Buffy looked on as Spike landed hard right next to her and slowly start to get up.

"Buffy" said Spike as he struggled to stand, "get the hell up and do something.

Buffy looked in horror as Spike was flung hard against the outside of a crypt and he slid down motionless.

"Spike" said Buffy as she struggled to get up while still screaming. She looked down at her hands and body and saw through the pain that was tearing through her eyes that a black mist was slowly coming out of her body, out of her arms, and her fingers.

'_What the hell is this?'_ thought Buffy to herself as she heard a sound from behind her. While she was still kneeling in pain, she managed to turn around only to see one of the praying mantis hollows right behind her with its arms high up as it prepared to strike the final blow to the Slayer.

"No" said Buffy as she brought up both her hands to block the hits, despite know full well that she could be killed by hollows that looked like insects.

'_Yeah, that's the way to go'_ she thought to herself sarcastically as she closed her eyes and felt the bladed arms of the praying mantis hit her arms but there was no pain, all she heard was the blade hitting metal.

Opening her eyes, she saw that her arms were covered in thin, black armour. She pushed the arms of the praying mantis Hollow away as it stepped back a little as it seemed to examine the person standing in front of it before giving out another scream.

"Oh shut up" said Buffy as she ran towards the hollow and gave a full, solid punch to its mask and then stepped back. She watched amazed as the Hollow mask broke apart as the hollow disintegrated right before her eyes.

"What the…?" said Buffy to herself as she looked over her body. She was covered in some kind of black, metallic armour that had symbols in red etched on it. Buffy saw that the armour covered her entire body, including her mouth and the entire area of her neck leaving only the upper part of her face and her blonde hair visible.

'_I feel different'_ thought Buffy to herself, _'More charged, stronger, I can sense things, I can sense Spike…. The Hollows… what's going on with me?'_

"Buffy" said Spike softly as the other two hollows that were approaching him stopped to see what had happened to the other one that faced the Slayer.

"One down" said Buffy as she stared at the hollows in front of her, "five to go."

She sensed the hollows that had gone after Spike had started to head back towards her. Without looking at them, she ducked as the two hollows swung their bladed hands at her head. At the same time, Buffy was thinking about a weapon, when a blade slid out of the surface of the armour that covered her forearms.

"Cool" said Buffy as she twisted around and swung her hands up through the mask of one of the hollows before she stood up and ran onto a gravestone, which she used as a jumping off point, and literally cut through the mask of the other Hollow just as the previous one was disintegrating.

"Neat" said Buffy to herself as she landed back on solid ground and she turned around to face the remaining three hollows that were screaming. Her eyes opened wide when another portal opened behind then and another six praying mantis hollows came through.

"What the hell is this?" said Buffy as she got into an attacking stance.

"Get down" said a calm voice from behind her.

Buffy turned around only to see someone in glasses and dressed in a white tunic, was aiming a bow towards the hollows.

"Get down now!" shouted Ishida as he aimed at the hollows.

Buffy got down onto the grass just as what seemed like a volley of hundreds of blue coloured arrows wiped out the hollows before they could even manage to scream. Once she saw that the hollows were gone, Buffy slowly got up and watched as the man walked towards her with his bow in his left hand.

"You need to get rid of these types of hollows before they can scream" said Ishida, "their scream summons more of their kind here. You seemed to be handling them pretty well yourself. But I thought it would be best to help you out since more of them seemed to come from Hueco Mundo."

"Who are you?" said Buffy as she suddenly felt dizzy.

"Uryu Ishida, I am a Quincy."

"Oh" said Buffy as her armour simply turned into mist and retreated back into her body, "that's cool."

"Great" said Ishida as Buffy simply collapsed onto the grass before he took out a cell phone, "Kurosaki, the Slayer's hurt. You need to take her home. And tell the others that I've found the vampire. And Kurosaki, I think your reiatsu affected the Slayer as well. Let's just say that, you may need to call Urahara-san for this."

TBC.


	25. Tara and the Confrontation (Part 1)

**A/N: **Hey everyone. thanks for the reviews on the previous chapters. Here is the next chapter. Sorry it's a bit short, but I'm not feeling that well again. I'll have the next chapter up in a week or so, or when I get better. Whichever comes first. Enjoy.

**Sunnydale Memorial Graveyard, 9:30pm**

"Ishida" said Ichigo as he shunpo'd in with Renji.

"Kurosaki" said Ishida, "you're late, I called you five minutes ago."

"Yea" said Ichigo, "I was kinda busy."

"Anyway" said Ishida, "here's the Slayer and the vampire's lying unconscious over there by the crypt. I'll leave the both of you to handle them."

"What did you see?" said Ichigo as he walked over to Buffy who was sleeping on the ground.

"Her body was covered with a black mist" said Ishida, "and when the Hollow attacked, it coalesced around her to form some of metallic armour."

"Really?" said Renji surprised.

"Like Sado's armour?" asked Ichigo as he looked at Ishida while crouched down.

"No" said Ishida, "it wasn't like your fullbring either."

"Yea" said Ichigo, "you need to have some kind of focus for your reiatsu, plus you should have the ability to see spirits or even shinigami, which she didn't until she and her friends spent time with me."

"And she had neither, right?" asked Renji.

"Yea" replied Ichigo as he looked at the sleeping Buffy.

"She must have been exhausted" said Ishida, "when the change happened, she did release a small burst of reiatsu and it remained even throughout the fight."

"I see" said Renji, "I doubt even she knows what happened."

"Probably" said Ichigo.

"She's an unknown" said Ishida as he looked at Ichigo, "which is why I told you to call Urahara-san."

"I already did" said Ichigo, "he said he'll be here tomorrow morning."

"Alright then" said Ishida, "I'll do another patrol while the both of you take them home."

"I'll take Buffy" said Ichigo as he carried her off the ground and into his arms.

"Great" said Renji as he put Spike's arm around his shoulder, "why do I get the vampire?"

"You just weren't fast enough" smiled Ichigo as he looked at Renji.

"Right" replied Renji, "let's get this over with; I'm getting vampire blood on my clothes."

"Ishida" said Ichigo.

"Yeah" replied the Quincy, "I'll see you tomorrow."

It was then that Ishida went off in one direction with Ichigo and Renji going in the other direction with their respective cargo.

**Summers Residence, 9:35pm.**

"Willow" said Xander as he approached Willow who was standing in the backyard just looking at the stars, "whatcha doing?"

"Hey" smiled Willow, "just watching the stars."

"Ok" replied Xander, "Why?"

"Just cause" said Willow.

"So" said Xander as he stood next to his childhood friend, "what do you think about of this Soul Reaper stuff huh? Sounds really cool to me."

"It's alright" said Willow.

"Just alright?" said Xander, "come on, you know how quiet it's been since we've known Buffy? So far no vamp attacks, no demonic apocalypses, it's been nice."

"Yea" said Willow, "all we have is a god that's coming after us."

"Well" said Xander, "there's that but we've got Ichigo and the others, and we've also got Buffy, and you, and Tara. Come on, you and Tara can singlehandedly take out a god."

"We can't Xander" said Willow, "you saw the magiks that Yoruichi person used, neither me nor Tara have the ability to do something that advanced. The frightening thing is that it didn't even feel like dark magic. If it was dark, I would have been able to feel it… Tara would have been able to feel it."

"Willow" said Xander, "I don't want you to use any dark magic, you know that right?"

"What if it comes to that?" said Willow as she turned to face Xander, "what if it gets so bad against Glory that I've got no choice but to use dark magic?"

"You won't have to" said Xander, "your friends are here for you, we're a team Will. It's not just about what you can do alone, if there something you can't do, we'll take up the slack."

"I don't know, Xander" said Willow as she looked at the palms of her hands, "it's like I suddenly feel useless."

"You're not useless, Will" said Xander as the door behind them opened and Tara walked out onto the backyard.

"Tara" smiled Willow as she and Xander walked towards the blonde witch, "when did you get back from the dorms?"

"Just now" said Tara as she looked at Willow, "ummm… can we talk?"

"Sure" said Willow.

"Alone" replied Tara as she looked nervously at Xander.

"Oh" said Xander, "sure… well.. I think I hear Anya calling me."

"Thanks" said Tara as Xander passed by.

"I'll see the two of you inside" said Xander as he opened the door and went into the house.

"Hey" smiled Willow as Tara walked towards her, "what's up?"

"Willow" said Tara, "pl…. please promise me something?"

"OF course" smiled Willow, "anything."

"Pl… please be honest with me" said Tara.

"I'm always honest with you" said Willow as she put her arms around Tara's waist and pulled her closer.

"O… Ok" replied Tara as she looked around nervously.

"What's up?" said Willow.

"Are… are you angry with me?" asked Tara.

"No" said Willow, "why would you say something like that?"

"When Ichigo told us that he took me to Soul Society to see my mother" said Tara, "it looked as if you were angry at me."

"No, baby" said Willow as she caressed Tara's cheeks, "I can never be angry with you, you're my everything."

"Willow" said Tara, "are you angry with Ichigo?"

"I….." said Willow just as she was interrupted.

"Tara… Willow" said Ichigo as he landed carrying Buffy and Renji holding up a conscious Spike.

"Hey Red" said Spike as he managed to stand by himself.

"What happened?" asked Willow as she ran towards Buffy and Tara ran towards Spike.

"They were attacked by hollows" said Ichigo.

"Where were you?" asked Willow.

"Willow" said Tara, "Ichigo can't be everywhere."

"Buffy's the Slayer, Tara" said Willow, "she should have been protected."

"Actually" said Renji, "the safety of the Slayer is secondary to the safety of the Key and the destruction of Glory."

"What?" said Willow incredulously as she stared at both Renji and Ichigo, "are you serious?"

"Yes" said Renji as he handed Spike over to Tara.

"Why?" said Spike softly as he leaned onto the blonde witch, "she's more important than the rest of us."

"Do you all really think so low of yourselves?" said Renji as he looked at the humans and the vampire in front of him.

"What's going on out here?" said Giles as he walked out onto the backyard, followed by Xander, when he saw Spike who was badly beaten and Buffy who was unconscious in Ichigo's arms, "my lord, what happened?"

"They were attacked by hollows" said Willow angrily, "and apparently Ichigo and the other Soul Reapers don't care about Buffy because her life is only secondary to the safety of Dawn and the destruction of Glory."

"Willow!" said Tara, "calm down."

"Buffy's my best friend and because of them she may have been badly injured" said Willow as she pointed at Ichigo and Renji.

"You people" said Renji as he looked at Tara and the others, "you always think bad of others who're trying to help."

"Ichigo" said Renji as he turned to face the substitute Shinigami, "I'll be at the north end of town with Rukia and Inoue, we'll see you there."

"Sure" said Ichigo as he saw Renji shunpo away before he turned to face Willow and the others.

"Something happened to Buffy" said Ichigo as he handed her off to Giles, "don't worry, she's alive but a friend of mine will be coming to see her tomorrow morning."

"Was it something bad or harmful?" asked Giles."

"I don't know" said Ichigo, "like Willow said, I wasn't there to watch over her."

"Look, Ichigo" said Xander, "it's not that we don't appreciate everything you've done for Dawn and Joyce but why weren't any Soul Reapers watching over her? She's important to the survival of the world."

"Xander" said Ichigo as he looked at Xander before looking at everyone else, "do you have faith in Buffy? Do you really have faith in her abilities?"

"Of course" said Willow.

"Then why do you think she needs to be watched over and coddled?" said Ichigo as he stared at Willow.

"Like Xander said" replied Willow, "Buffy's important."

"To you?" said Ichigo, "or to the world?"

"Both" said Willow.

"And if she had to die to save the world?" asked Ichigo, "what if she had to sacrifice everything to save the world and the other Shinigami just stood by, then what? Do you want us to save her or save the world? You only get one option; you can't have it both ways."

"I…. I…." said Willow as Ichigo interrupted her.

"When you find the answer to that question" said Ichigo, "you just let me know will you?"

"Ichigo" said Tara.

"Tara" said Ichigo, "I…."

"No" said Tara, "I want to talk to you and to Willow."

"But" said Willow.

"Alone" said Tara as she looked at Giles and Xander.

"Of course" said Giles as he carried Buffy back into the house.

"Giles" said Ichigo, "I'll be coming with my friend tomorrow morning. She'll be alright, she's just exhausted."

"Thank you for bringing her back" said Giles and Xander smiled and nodded to Ichigo.

"Now" said Tara as she looked at both Willow and Ichigo, "what's going on here?"

"What do you mean?" asked Ichigo.

"Don't" said Tara angrily, "don't pretend with me Ichigo Kurosaki, you said that we are friends, but you've been lying to me ever since the day you told everyone about yourself."

"I told you he was lying" mumbled Willow.

"And you" said Tara as she stared at Willow, "why are you so angry with Ichigo? What could he have done to you that you'd be mad at him?"

"Tara" said Willow as she approached the blonde girl.

"No!" shouted Tara as she stepped away from both Willow and Ichigo.

"Tara" said Ichigo calmly, "we've all had a long and hard day, maybe this isn't the right time…"

"When would be the right time?" said Tara, "please let me know so that I can put it down in my appointment book."

"Do the both of you think I'm a fool?" continued Tara, "I can read your aura's, I know when there's something wrong."

"Nothing's wrong" said Willow grinning, "see, absolutely nothing."

"Willow" said Tara, "you wanting to gain access to the dark magiks just to beat Glory scares me to death, can't you see that? I promised my mother that I'd help to train you so that you can better control the magiks but, it's like you don't even want to. You told me off, you told me that you didn't want my training or my help."

"Tara" said Willow, "that's because dark magics may be the only shot I have to be useful, because the Soul Reapers won't teach me any of their spells."

"Have you ever wondered why?" said Tara as Ichigo just remained quiet, feeling more and more uncomfortable in the presence of the angry witch, "have you wondered that the reason they don't want to teach you is because you're so eager to gain access to more powerful magiks when you don't even have proper control over your current magiks? Yoruichi said it could be dangerous for you and the others around you but you still want to gain more and more power, power that I'm so scared will harm you."

"I just want to help, Tara" said Willow as tears slowly ran down her cheeks, "what can I do when they have such power, you said I have more power than you the first time we met. Remember? But in their presence, what am I? I'm nothing. Did you see the ease Yoruichi used that spell to incapacitate that snake demon? I don't even have that level of power."

"They're spiritual beings, Willow" said Tara, "of course they'd have more powers than the both of us. We're only human, we try our limit and then we try and break that limit. But we don't do it by embracing the dark magiks."

"Then please tell me how?" said Willow as she got only her knees and started crying, "tell me how."

"Willow" said Tara as she got onto her knees in front of Willow and hugged her tight, "I just want to help you. Don't you know how much you're hurting me when you say you want to gain access to more power than you can control? It's like you're telling me that you don't care about what I think, that you'd do anything you want despite my warnings or misgivings."

"I just want to protect you" sobbed Willow into Tara's shoulder, "I just want to protect you, Buffy and the others."

"I know" said Tara softly, "but there are other ways to do it besides using dark magiks."

"Please teach me" said Willow, "I don't want to lose you, I'm afraid that I'll lose you."

"Willow" said Tara as she cupped the redhead's cheeks.

"I'm afraid that I'll lose you to Ichigo" said Willow, "just like I lost Oz."

"Huh?" said Tara confused as she raised her head to look at Ichigo, who had quietly shunpo'd away some time ago.

TBC.


	26. Tara and the Confrontation (Part 2)

**Summers Residence, 11:00pm.**

"I lost my shinigami powers" said an irritated Rukia as she glared at Ichigo.

"What the?" said Tara as she looked around her, "where…?"

"This is Ichigo's school in Karakura Town" said Masaki as she simply appeared from behind Tara.

"Masaki" said Tara as she turned around with a smile.

"Hello Tara" said Masaki as she returned the blonde's smile, "you must have been too tired, you fell asleep once your head hit the couch."

"But I'm no longer a shinigami" said Ichigo as Tara turned around to look at the orange haired boy, "where did the powers go to?"

"Inside of you" said Rukia with her arms crossed across her chest, "it's not your body, but your soul that has become a shinigami."

"What?" said Ichigo.

"Anyway, last night I had almost all my powers taken by you" said an extremely pissed off Rukia, "I only have a very small part of my abilities left, which is why I have to remain n this artificial body."

"How's that possible?" asked Tara as she looked at Masaki while Rukia and Ichigo were arguing, "she only intended to give him only half her power."

"Without knowing" said Masaki, "Ichigo took all of Rukia's power and used it as his own."

"So" said Tara, "the power Ichigo has now… it's Rukia's?"

"No, my dear" smiled Masaki, "it's his own power. Taking Rukia's power pretty much jump started his own"

"Oh" said Tara as everything melted around her and Masaki as the scene around them changed to a stormy and rainy night at a graveyard.

"This night" said Masaki to herself as she looked at the cloudy sky, "it's like the night I died."

"Masaki" said Tara, "where are we?"

"My grave" said Masaki as she pointed to her gravestone.

"I'm so sorry" said Tara as she looked at the stone and then at Masaki.

"Don't be" said Masaki, "my son's grown up now and he's embraced his legacy. I couldn't be more proud."

"Yeah" said Tara as she sadly looked at the gravestone, "those flowers are beautiful."

"Thank you" said Masaki, "Ichigo would never admit it, but he picked them out and then Yuzu and Karin arranged them."

"Hah" smiled Tara, "I can never imagine Ichigo picking flowers."

"He hides it real well" said Masaki laughing.

Suddenly, Tara felt a burst of power from some distance away.

"Is that?" asked Tara surprised as she looked at Masaki.

"Yes" said Masaki as the both of them started to run towards the burst of energy, "it's Ichigo's reiatsu."

"What's he… oh no" said Tara as she looked at Masaki.

"Yes" said Masaki with a serious look on her face as her smile completely vanished, "he told you about it when you met him, now you're about to see the monster that took me away from my son."

"How about Yuzu and Karin?" asked Tara.

"Kon and Rukia took them away to a safe place" said Masaki, "they're safe with Isshin."

"Good" said Tara as she and Masaki reach a small clearing.

"Tara" said Masaki, "look."

"No, Ichigo" said Tara as she covered her mouth in shock at the sight before her. Tara saw that he was bleeding but still standing as a hairy, large Hollow with an equally large mask stood in front of him on four claws, "is that….?"

"Yes" said Masaki, "that's the lure in my image. Grand Fisher used it to confuse Ichigo and weaken his resolve."

"Don't Ichigo" said the lure as Tara looked on with Masaki, "sheath the sword, don't cut momma."

"Ichigo!" shouted Tara as Grand Fisher moved the lure within just a few centimetres from Ichigo's face before he pulled back one of his claws and speared it through both the lure and Ichigo's body. As Tara ran to Ichigo, all Masaki could do was stand there looking at Ichigo's pain. She knew that even though she was still a memory within her son's reiatsu, Masaki still felt shock and sadness over everything Ichigo had endured. Especially with this moment, the moment where Ichigo wanted to avenge her death.

"I told you, anger dulls the blade. But I will pay my respects to you, boy" said Grand Fisher, "out of all of those I've encountered, you were the youngest, the most thoughtless and the weakest Shinigami of them all."

"Ichigo" said Tara as she tried to reach for him but her hands just went through his body. All she could see now was blood coming out from a hole that Grand Fisher had punched his hand through, "why won't anyone help him? Where's Rukia? Masaki, where's Rukia?!"

"Right up there" said Masaki as she pointed to a tree in the distance.

Looking closely, Tara could see a distraught Rukia looking on but not making a move to help him.

"Masaki" said an enraged Tara, "he's dying and all she could do was stand there? Willow's right about the Shinigami, isn't she? All they could do is talk, but when it comes down to it they won't lift a finger."

"Is that what you really think?" asked Masaki, "if that's what you think, then you really don't know Ichigo, Rukia or the others."

"Then why?" shouted Tara, "why doesn't she come?"

"Because Ichigo told her not to" said Masaki as she looked at the pain on Ichigo's face before she turned and looked at the pain and confusion on Tara's, "this is a battle for pride, Tara. He wants to avenge my death, how do you think he would have felt if Rukia had interfered?"

"Ichigo" said Tara as she tried to reach for him but her arms again went through the Substitute.

"Tara" replied Masaki as she picked up Tara from the ground and brought her to her feet, "you need to see."

"But" said Tara as tears fell from her eyes.

"Look at him, Tara" said Masaki, "you need to see."

Tara turned away from Masaki and saw a small smile form on Ichigo's face before he stabbed Grand Fisher with his sword.

"I finally caught you" said Ichigo as he grabbed the hand the Hollow had impaled him with and held on tightly so that Grand Fisher couldn't move, "anger can dull the blade, huh? Well you know what; all I need to defeat you is a dull blade."

Tara looked on while Masaki placed her hand on Tara's shoulder as Ichigo slowly got up.

"It's over Fisher" said Ichigo angrily, "Its time I paid you the respect you've paid me; you are the oldest, the most filthy, and the most irritating hollow of them all."

Tara watched as Ichigo sliced his sword through Grand Fishers body as the Substitute Shinigami cut off the Hollow's entire right arm, as well as a good chunk of its body.

"My arm" shouted Grand Fisher in pain, "my body!"

"Ichigo" said Tara as she saw Ichigo stab his sword into the ground and lean on it as he tried to catch his breath."

"Don't worry, Tara" said Masaki as the entire area melted away and she found herself on the roadside as she watched Ichigo holding his sword against Byakuya Kuchiki as Renji stood to one side injured, and another dark haired boy lying injured.

"What happened at the graveyard?" asked Tara, "what happened to Ichigo?"

"The hollow ran away" said Masaki, "Ichigo injured him so badly that he actually ran away. Can you imagine Tara, the hollow that killed so many Shinigami ran away from a Substitute?"

"Did Rukia help him?" asked Tara.

"Yes" said Masaki, "once the battle was over, she healed him as best she could. Remember this, Tara; a Shinigami's life force is their amount of spiritual energy…."

"And Ichigo as plenty of that in spades" said Tara.

"Yes" said Masaki.

"I'm sorry about the things I said before" said Tara.

"You were concerned about my son" said Masaki, "thank you."

"Now, where are we?" asked Tara.

"Byakuya and Renji came to the world of the living to bring Rukia back to Soul Society" said Masaki.

"That's good, right?" asked Tara.

"Shinigami have a certain limit of time they can spend in the world of the living" said Masaki, "spend more time than that, and it's a criminal offense. They came to take her back to face charges, and she would eventually face the death penalty."

"What?!" said Tara.

"She committed two crimes in Soul Society's eyes" said Masaki, "one was staying in the world of the living for too long of a time, and the other crime was the gravest among the two; The transfer of a Shinigami's power to a human being."

"It's a crime?" said Tara.

"Yes" said Masaki, "it's one of the laws of Soul Society; one of the many laws it's had among others."

Suddenly Tara watched as Byakuya simply vanished and then appeared behind Ichigo.

"What just happened?" asked Tara.

"Ichigo still hasn't learnt Shunpo, yet" said Masaki, "and Byakuya just dealt him two major blows, two blows that would essentially kill him if nothing is done."

"But, I didn't see…" said Tara as blood suddenly came out of Ichigo's body and he slowly fell onto the ground.

"What?" said Tara as she looked at Masaki, "what just happened?"

"Byakuya used shunpo to stab Ichigo through the Soul Sleep and the Binding Chain" said Masaki as she closed her eyes before crouching down and running fingers through Ichigo's hair, "these two are important pressure points for a Shinigami, if they are pierced, then the Shinigami powers are sealed and one can never become a Shinigami again."

"Then how?" said Tara as she looked at Rukia run towards Ichigo just as Renji caught her and flung her against a lamp post, "how is he a Shinigami?"

"Urahara" said Masaki, "Kisuke Urahara helped him regain his powers" said Masaki as the surroundings changed again until they were in a white room.

'But how?" said Tara, "you said he could never be a Shinigami again."

"Tara" said Masaki, "the power that Ichigo had been using this whole time was Rukia's. His own power retreated back into his soul when Byakuya stabbed him."

"So" said Tara, "that means…"

"Yes" smiled Masaki, "the power that Byakuya sealed was Rukia's powers inside Ichigo. Urahara will help Ichigo reach his own power. You'll see soon. You should talk to Ichigo, about how Urahara helped him, I mean. He should be on his way."

"Masaki" said Tara, "you saw what happened right? When I talked to Willow and Ichigo in the backyard?"

"Yes" said Masaki, "and I know what you want to ask me."

"You are his mother after all" smirked Tara.

"You should ask him that question" said Masaki, "I cannot and will not answer for him, no matter how much you try to look into my aura."

"He went away before Willow told me she was afraid that I'd leave her for Ichigo" said Tara.

"Let me ask you this question then" said Masaki as she stepped forward towards Tara, "do you have feelings for my son?"

"I….." said Tara when she suddenly woke up to sounds of knocking on the door.

"Coming!" shouted Xander's voice as he ran down the stairs as he saw Tara suddenly sit up and looked groggily at the door, "Morning sleepyhead."

"Morning" said Tara softly as she slowly got up on her feet and stretched as Xander opened the door.

'_Do I have feelings for Ichigo?'_ thought Tara to herself, _'I honestly don't know.'_

"Yes?" said Xander as Tara walked towards the door.

"Oh" said Tara as she saw who it was standing on the porch, "Mr. Urahara."

"Tara" said Urahara as he took off his stripped hat, "good morning."

"Good morning" smiled Tara, "please come in."

"You know this guy?" whispered Xander.

"Yes" said Tara, "he's Ichigo's friend."

"Oh" said Xander as he stepped to the side and let Urahara into the house.

"Mr. Urahara" said Tara as he interrupted her.

"Please.. call me Kisuke"

"OK" said Tara as she stood next to Xander and looked at the people who were coming down the stairs, "this is Xander, Willow, Anya, Spike and Giles."

"Hello" said Giles as he shook Urahara's hand, "I'm Buffy's watcher."

"My name is Kisuke Urahara, I'm just a humble owner of a sweet shop in Karakura Town" smiled Urahara.

"I thought you were a Soul Reaper?" said Anya as everyone looked at her.

"What?" said Anya, "it's a valid question."

"Well" said Urahara, "I like having a side business, plus I'm contributing something to the economy."

"Anya" said Xander as he saw that his girlfriend was getting ready to respond, "not now."

"Alright" said Anya.

"So" said Urahara as he looked at Spike, "you're the vampire huh?"

"Yeah" said Spike, "what of it?"

"It's just interesting that a vampire would be partnering with a vampire slayer" said Urahara.

"Yeah, well…. It happens from time to time" said Spike, "and I'm not her partner."

"Very well" said Urahara as he turned to face Giles.

"May I talk to Miss Summers?" said Urahara as he looked at Giles.

"Please, no Miss Summers" said Buffy as she slowly walked down the stairs while rubbing her temples, "Just Buffy, and what the hell happened to me last night? I feel like I was run over by a truck and then thrown down from an airplane, and then dropped into a volcano while drinking a huge tub of vodka."

"Volcano and vodka?" asked Willow.

"Couldn't think of anything else" smiled Buffy.

"That's what I'm in Sunnydale to find out" said Urahara as he looked at Giles and then at Buffy.

"Kisuke?" said Tara, "where's Ichigo? He said he was coming with you."

"That's right" replied Giles.

"Kurosaki-san is helping Inoue-san with her daily training session" said Urahara, "now, would any of you mind if I bring Buffy with me to my 'super secret hideout where the Shinigami go to train'?"

"Can we come along?" asked Xander.

"Who's going to open the store?" said Giles, "I need you and Anya there. As Buffy's watcher, it's my duty to be by her side."

"You just want to see some cool powers" said Buffy.

"Well" said Giles sheepishly, "that too."

"You don't have to worry about your shop" said Urahara, "it's all been taken care of."

"Huh?" said Giles as he stared at Urahara.

**The Magic Box, deep underground, 40 minutes later.**

"Ready again, Inoue?" said Ichigo as he and Inoue, along with Renji, Rukia and Sado finished their breakfast.

"Yes" said Inoue as she got up and walked a bit further away in the large man-made cavern that was underneath the Magic Box.

"Ready?" said Ichigo, "I'm not holding back, alright?"

"I'm ready" said Inoue as she stood confidently and faced Ichigo.

"All this time, we've been training using my Shikai" said Ichigo, "now I'll use Bankai, ok?"

"Ok" said Inoue.

"Rukia?" said Ichigo.

"Me and Renji are ready to get her out of the way" said Rukia as she smiled at Inoue, "just in case."

Inoue nodded at Ichigo as he pointed Zangetsu straight at her.

"Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu" said Ichigo as Zangetsu glowed and crackled with blue reiatsu when suddenly a large stream of energy headed straight towards Inoue, just as the Scoobies and Urahara came down the flight of stairs from the hidden entrance behind the Magic Box.

"What the…." Said Willow as she saw Ichigo shoot a blue coloured blast straight at the defenceless Inoue before she looked at Buffy, "Buffy, she's in danger."

"Shit" said Buffy as she started to run towards Inoue just as Renji stopped her.

"Are you crazy!" shouted Renji as he covered Buffy with his body, with Sado standing between then and the expected blast, just as the energy went close to hitting Inoue.

"Santen keshun, I reject" said Inoue, just a mere seconds before impact, as a golden shield appeared right in front of her that blocked the stream of energy from hitting her.

"You cut it too close Inoue" said Rukia as she glanced back at the people who had just arrived.

"Getsuga Tenshou" said Ichigo as he shunpo'd towards Inoue and swung Zangetsu down at her.

"Shiten Koshun, I reject" shouted Inoue as a new barrier formed it front of her, this time with her attacking power, Tsubak,i taking his place in the in the middle of the triangle.

Inoue watched as the Getsuga Tenshou energy was dispersed along the shield before Tsubaki gathered the energy and shot it back at Ichigo.

"Crap" said Ichigo as the reflected energy hit him squarely in the chest and he was pushed all the back to the stairs, which he hit hard and bounced off before hitting the ground.

"Kurosaki-kun" said Inoue as Rukia grabbed her and shunpo'd all the way to where Ichigo was lying on his back with his Shikai form.

"Heh" said Ichigo as he gave Inoue a thumbs up, "good job."

"Not really" smiled Inoue, "your Getsuga Tenshou cracked the barrier a little."

"Inoue" said Rukia, "heal that idiot would you?"

"Of course" said Inoue as she kneeled next to Ichigo, "Soten Kisshun, I reject."

"Thanks, Inoue" said Ichigo, "I think I'll sleep for a bit now."

"You sure?" whispered Inoue.

"Yea" replied Ichigo.

"Ichigo?" said Tara as she walked up to Ichigo along with the rest of the Scooby gang and Urahara.

"Hey Inoue-san" said Urahara, "Good job."

"Thank you" said Inoue as her healing power continued its work.

"What are you doing?" asked Willow.

"I'm healing him" said Inoue as she heard a shout from Renji.

"Hey" said the red haired Shinigami, "why'd you kick my shin for?"

"That was for man-handling me" said Buffy.

"All I did was protect you from the energy blast, you crazy girl" said Renji.

"Maybe the both of you should calm down" said Sado as he stood between the Slayer and the Shinigami.

"I'm not a girl" said Buffy as she pointed a finger at Renji, "I'm a woman."

"But you don't deny that you're crazy" said Renji, "because only a crazy fool would run towards a blast of reiatsu that was being shot from a Bankai."

"I don't even know what that is" said Buffy.

"Then why did you run towards it?" said Renji, "are you like a moth that likes to fly towards bright lights?"

"Did you just call me a moth?" said Buffy as she ground her teeth.

"Yeah" said Renji, "what of it?"

"Why you…" said Buffy as she ran and ducked under Sado's arms that was reaching for her to stop, before she kicked Renji in the groin and then turn around and walked towards Ichigo.

"Inoue-san!" shouted Renji as he lay on the ground rolling, "I need help!"

"It's ok, Inoue" said Rukia as she smirked, "concentrate on Ichigo."

"Of course" smiled Inoue as she looked at the substitute.

"So" said Buffy as she kneeled next to Inoue, "this is what you used to help my mom? What was it Rukia called it? Rejection of Events?"

"Yes" said Inoue as the healing field disappeared and went back into her hair pins.

"Neat" said Buffy as she stood up.

"Ichigo" said Rukia as she helped the Substitute stand up, "you alright?"

"Yeah" said Ichigo, "haven't done that using Bankai before."

"Th.. that was your Bankai?" said Tara, "I mean I couldn't see it really, but that was its power?"

"Kinda" said Ichigo as he scratched his head nervously.

"Tara?" said Willow, "you know about this? I mean this Bankai stuff?"

"Just what Rukia and Ichigo told me" said Tara.

"Kurasaki-kun" said Inoue, "you should sit down."

"Right" said Ichigo as he walked towards the stairs and slowly sat down, "that feels better."

"Buffy" said Urahara, "while Kurosaki-san is resting, how would you like to train with Sado-kun?"

"The red pineapple hair guy?" said Buffy.

"Hey" said Renji, "I can hear you, you know."

"No" said Sado as he stepped forward, "he was referring to me."

"Oh" said Buffy, "Sure, I'll train with you, but I should warn you. I'm stronger than I look."

"Yes" said Sado, "Urahara-san has mentioned it, which means that I would have to use my full power."

"Huh?" said Buffy as she looked at Sado, _'Power? He has power too?'_

"It will be hard training though" said Urahara as he looked at Giles as Buffy and Sado walked to a location close by a few meters away so that Urahara and Giles, who were seated on the stairs, could see them closely.

"To be honest, Mr. Urahara" said Giles, "this whole thing that's going on with Buffy is out of my depth, but I would like to work with you on what's happening to her. I have all my materials on the Slayer in the shop upstairs."

"Of course" smiled Urahara, "I'll be glad to assist you. I do have some theories as to what's happening, but I can only confirm it after the first session."

"Would you like some tea?" said Giles.

"Please" reply Urahara.

"Oh Tara… Willow" said Giles, "would you be so kind so as to get my materials on the Slayer and a fresh pot of tea down?"

"Ummmmm…." said Willow as she looked at Tara and then Giles, "I was hoping to talk to Orihime about the nature of her powers."

"Willow" said Tara.

"Her powers aren't dark magic" said Willow, "maybe if I knew how they worked, even I could do something similar."

"I don't mind" said Inoue who had overheard what Willow had said.

"See" said Willow, "she's ok with it."

"Ok" said Tara as she looked at Ichigo, "I may need some help bringing all those things down."

"Ummm…" said Ichigo as he glanced at Willow before looking at Tara, "maybe it would be better if Willow helped you out before she talked to Inoue."

'_Got you, Ichigo'_ thought Tara to herself, _'you guys keep on forgetting I can read aura's and I can see that you're upset about something, and that Willow is angry.'_

"I can help" said Willow, "I mean Ichigo may still be injured."

"Yeah" said Ichigo.

"Orihime" said Tara as she looked at Inoue, "your healing power reverses all injuries, right?"

"Yes?" said Inoue as she nervously looked at Ichigo who looked back at her before hanging his head in defeat.

"OK" said Tara, "Ichigo, you're coming with me, while Willow talks to Orihime about her abilities."

"You sure?" asked Willow.

"Yes" said Tara.

"Kurosaki-san" said Urahara, "please hurry, I'm quite thirsty."

"Yes" said Giles, "me too."

"Bring some candy or biscuits as well" said Urahara.

"Right… right" said Ichigo as he got up and walked up the stairs with Tara.

"Willow" said Inoue, "come, I'll try to explain how my powers work as best I can."

"Sure" said Willow as she looked back at Tara who was walking quietly beside an equally quiet Ichigo.

"So" said Giles as he looked at Urahara after the four youngsters had got their own separate directions, "what is your theory?"

"How much do you know about what happened last night?" asked Urahara.

"Not much" said Giles, "Ichigo and that Renji fellow just said that Buffy surrounded herself with a suit of armour."

"Yes" said Urahara, "that's what Ishida-kun told me as well."

"Ishida?" asked Giles.

"You'll be meeting him soon" said Urahara, "he'll be here in a few hours to rest up."

"I see" said Giles, "please continue."

"You are aware of how the Slayer line was created?" asked Urahara.

"Yes" said Giles, "as a watcher, I'm required to know all these things."

"Does Miss Summers know?" asked Urahara.

"No" whispered Giles, "I feel that there are something's that should be kept secret from her, at least for now."

"I see" replied Urahara as he looked at Sado and Buffy warming up.

"So" said Giles.

"Kurosaki-san has an extraordinary amount of spiritual energy that is uncontrolled" said Urahara to Giles' surprise, "it is so great that he constantly leaks it into his surroundings, and even people."

"Really?" said Giles.

"Yes" said Urahara, "it's even started to affect you."

"Can't be" said Giles. "I don't have any special powers."

"You can see ghosts now" said Urahara to Giles' surprise.

"You mean…" said Giles nervously.

"Yes" replied Urahara, "it's because of Ichigo's constantly leaking spiritual energy, or reiatsu, that you were able to see the ghost that visited in your home."

"Oh" said Giles as he recalled having seen Jenny again.

"Has he always been like that?" asked Giles, "I mean, I take it Ichigo can see ghosts as well."

"He's been like that since he was a little boy" replied Urahara, "but the details, I'll leave those to him."

"So you think this….. spiritual energy….. reiatsu… affected Buffy in some way?" asked Giles.

"Yes" replied Urahara as he looked at Giles with a serious face, "my theory is that Miss Summers' armour is a manifestation of the demonic heritage of the Slayer line."

TBC

***** I'm sorry guys. I know most wanted the 'talk' between Tara and Ichigo but what's the fun if I don't end in some kind of a cliffhanger. Don't worry though, it's coming.*****


	27. Tara and the Confrontation (Part 3)

**The Magic Box, Underground Training Complex.**

"So" said Tara as she and Ichigo slowly walked up the stairs, "your reiatsu affected Buffy, huh?"

"Yea" said Ichigo as the both of them walked up in relative quiet.

"Ichigo" said Tara as soon as they were away from the views of everyone in the complex, "can we please talk?"

"Ok" said Ichigo, "what would you like to talk about?"

"Well, for one thing, I'd like to know why you've been avoiding me" said Tara as she stopped and looked at Ichigo.

"I I haven't been avoiding you" said Ichigo as he held Tara's hand and shunpo'd all the way up to the surface behind the Magic Box.

"You have" said Tara as she grabbed his hand, "I know something's wrong ever since you and Willow were in the back room after you told everyone about yourself."

"You saw that?" asked Ichigo as they entered the training room from the back door.

"I'm not stupid, Ichigo" said Tara, "I still don't know why you and Willow seem to think that I'm stupid and need….. I don't know…. You and she seem to think I should be protected from everything."

"Tara, we don't think…" said Ichigo just as he heard the door opening.

"Hey guys" said Xander, "everything alright?"

"Yea" said Ichigo as he looked at Tara's face which was turned away both him and Xander, "ummmm…. Xander, could you get some tea down to Giles and Urahara-san?"

"Sure" said Xander, "maybe I'll have Spike do it."

"It's sunny out there you moron" shouted Spike from somewhere inside the shop.

"I'll get him to do it" said Xander grinning, "and you're going to….?"

"Well, they want some candy and biscuits" said Ichigo, "and I need to maybe get some lunch as well."

"Cool" said Xander, "can you get me and Anya a burger?"

"Sure" said Ichigo.

"Xander" said Tara as she wiped her eyes before turning to face Xander, "Mr. Giles also wanted the books on the Slayer, could… could you please take it sown to him too? I'll help Ichigo in bringing back the food."

"Ummmmm…. Sure" said Xander as he looked at Tara's red eyes, "is everything alright?"

"Yea" said Tara as she nodded her head before heading out the backdoor.

"Ichigo?" said Xander, "what's going on?"

"Nothing" said Ichigo as he turned around to face Xander "thanks for helping bring those things down."

"Hey" said Xander as he walked up to Ichigo, "Willow told me about your 'talk'."

"I guess everyone knows huh?" said Ichigo.

"Well" said Xander, "just me and Buffy."

"I see" said Ichigo.

"Willow's my oldest friend" said Xander.

"I already told Buffy that I'll be leaving" said Ichigo, "you won't hear from me again."

"That's not what I'm trying to say" said Xander, "I've seen how Tara acts around you, it's different than how she acts around us. She's more confident… surer of herself. You're a positive influence on her, which is why I don't think you should leave."

"I've got no choice in the matter" said Ichigo.

"Yes you do" said Xander as he saw Tara peek her head back into the training room.

"Ichigo?" said Tara, "you ready?"

"Yeah" said Ichigo as he walked towards the backdoor before looking at Xander, "thanks, but I've made my decision."

"Alright" said Xander as he sighed and turned around to get into the shop, "Spike, come on. You're carrying some heavy books."

"No" said Spike.

"You want blood?" asked Xander.

"Yes" said Spike.

"Then get those things down and Anya will microwave some for you" said Xander.

"Hey" said Anya.

"Thanks Ahn" replied Xander, "I love you."

"Just so you know" said Anya, "that won't work every time."

**Skies above Sunnydale, five minutes later.**

"Woohooo!" shouted Tara as Ichigo carried her as he Shunpo'd from the Magic Box to right above the beach.

"You did ask for a nice view" said Ichigo.

"Yeah" replied Tara, "I did, didn't I?"

"Yep" said Ichigo as he looked at Tara and then looked into the distance.

"Can we go sit somewhere before getting the food?" asked Tara.

"Sure" said Ichigo, "any ideas?"

"Yea" said Tara as she pointed to their left, "that way."

"Alright" said Ichigo as he Shunpo'd to a hill that over looked the city.

"What is this place?" asked Ichigo.

"It's called Kingman's Bluff" said Tara as she went to the edge of the hill and sat down, "I know it's not Sokyoku Hill, but….."

"Yeah" said Ichigo as he sat down next to her, "the view is still nice."

"Yeah" replied Tara.

"You should bring Willow here" said Ichigo as Tara turned her head and stared at him.

"Why do you do that?" asked Tara.

"Huh?" asked Ichigo confused.

"Why is it that everything circles around to Willow?" said Tara, "I've noticed that lately, with you."

"No…" said Ichigo as Tara interrupted him.

"Ichigo" said Tara, "like I told you earlier at the training room behind the Magic Box, do you think I'm stupid?"

"No" said Ichigo, "I don't think you're stupid."

"What happened when you and Willow were in the training room together?" asked Tara, "don't lie to me. I remember that she came out first, and you only came out after Rukia and Orihime had gone in."

"It was a tiring day for me, Tara" said Ichigo, "I just wanted to relax a bit after having talked with Willow. Rukia and Orihime just came in to see why I was taking so long."

"Ichigo" said Tara, "stop lying to me."

"Huh?" said Ichigo confused as he looked at Tara's face.

"Please" said Tara as she closed her eyes, "just stop lying to me. You promised me you'll be honest with me, so that's what I'm asking from you."

"I've always tried to be honest" said Ichigo.

"Then tell me this" said Tara as she looked at Ichigo, "do you have feelings for me?"

"Huh?" said Ichigo, "where did…"

"No" said Tara as she grabbed Ichigo's hand and squeezed, "do you have feelings for me? It's a simple yes or no answer."

"There are no such things as simple 'yes' or 'no' answers" said Ichigo.

"For this question?" said Tara, "it's either yes or no."

"Does it really matter?" asked Ichigo as he finally looked at Tara, "in the long run, does it really matter if I have feelings for you or not?"

"Ichigo" said Tara, "please."

"I care about you" said Ichigo, "that's the truth."

"That doesn't answer my question" said Tara, "I know you care about me, about Orihime, about Soul Society. I know you care about keeping everyone safe. What I'm asking you is if you have feelings for me?"

"I'm sorry" said Ichigo as Tara looked at his aura, "but no, I don't."

"Oh" said Tara as she looked away from Ichigo and closed her eyes as she tried to fight back tears.

'_You lied to me'_ thought Tara to herself, _'you keep on forgetting I can read aura's so I know from that flare up in your aura that you lied.'_

"Maybe it's time we left" said Ichigo as he stood up and as he offered his hand to help Tara up.

"Yea" said Tara as she looked at Ichigo, which was when she noticed that Ichigo would avoid looking into her eyes.

"Burgers first and then the sweets?" asked Ichigo.

"Huh?" said Tara as she still thought about the flare up in Ichigo's aura, _'he's got feelings for me? Why?'_

"Which one do you recommend we get first?" asked Ichigo.

"I.. I…. I'm not sure" said Tara, "may.. maybe we… we should get both so that everyone will be happy?"

"Alright then" said Ichigo, "you ready?"

"Ye…. yeah" said Tara as she held on to Ichigo's arm as he Shunpo'd away.

**The Magic Box, thirty minutes later.**

"Alright guys" said Ichigo as he and Tara walked into the shop, "food's here."

"Nice" said Xander as he grabbed two burgers for him and Anya before turning to Ichigo, "oh, you're needed downstairs."

"Alright" said Ichigo as he glanced at Tara, "I guess, I'll be seeing you huh?"

"Yea" said Tara quietly before Ichigo walked away with the rest of the burgers.

Tara then walked towards the table in the middle of the shop and sat down quietly.

"Hey" said Xander as he pulled up a chair and sat next to Tara, "everything alright?"

"I really don't know" said Tara, "I really don't."

"Oh" said Xander.

"I know that Willow can be jealous at times" said Tara, "but… I mean….. damn it…"

"Tara?" said Xander as he looked at the blonde witch in surprise, "I think that's the first time, I've heard you say.. well, that…"

"I'm sorry" said Tara as she looked at Xander, "I shouldn't be coming to you with this. I mean you're Willow's best friend so…. I think I should be going home, I mean to Buffy's house."

"Listen" said Xander as he held her hand, "I think they're almost done with training for the day, why don't you stick around up here?"

"We need help in restocking some of these things" said Anya as she came out of the back office.

"Ahn" said Xander, "not now."

"It's alright" said Tara, "maybe I should make myself useful somehow."

"Tara" said Xander as he leaned in closer to the blonde witch, "Is everything really alright?"

"I…. I… should go" said Tara as she stood up and walked towards Anya.

**Magic Box, Underground Training Area.**

"I see" said Urahara as he looked at the books on the Slayer with Giles, "so the demon that was forced into the first Slayer created a mystical link between her and all the other potential Slayers on Earth. Once she died, the demon would simply move on to the next girl."

"Yes" said Giles.

"Interesting" replied Urahara, "which means that my theory has merit. Once the demon left Miss Summers body after her death, it moved on to the next girl in the line. However it still left behind a part of itself, its essence if you would, inside Miss Summers. That would account for her retaining her Slayer abilities. And when Kurosaki-san came to Sunnydale, his reiatsu must have given that essence a jumpstart."

"Leading to the appearance of Buffy's armour?" asked Giles as he looked at Buffy and Sado sparring.

"It would appear so" said Urahara.

"Then why isn't it appearing?" asked Giles as he looked at Buffy.

"Ummmm…." said Urahara as he looked at Buffy before turning his attention to Giles, "would you mind if Sado used his full power?"

"He has power as well?" asked Giles.

"Yes" replied Urahara.

"Sado-san" shouted Urahara, "please go all out if you will."

"Huh?" said Sado as both he and Buffy stared at Urahara before staring at each other.

"I'm already having trouble keeping up with you" said Buffy, "how much power to you really have?"

"I'm sorry" said Sado, "I never meant any disrespect to you."

"Nah" said Buffy.

"Sado-san" said Urahara as he shunpo'd in the middle of both Sado and Buffy, "I need you to use your full power."

"But….." said Sado.

"Trust me" said Urahara, "it's the only way for her to protect herself using her armour."

"Of course" said Sado.

"Don't worry, if anything gets ripped off you, we've got Inoue-san to help you get it back." said Urahara as he turned to face Buffy.

"Huh" said Buffy as she looked worryingly at Sado and then Urahara as he shunpo'd away.

"I'm sorry" said Urahara as he looked at Giles, "I'm afraid for now, this is the only way for her to activate her armour."

"What do you…..?" said Giles as he stood up and looked at Buffy moving into a defensive posture as Sado seemed to cover his entire left arm in a white liquid.

"Woah" said Buffy as she saw a white liquid cover the entirety of Sado's left arm as it slowly solidified into white armour with red lines on the surface.

"Sorry" said Sado as Buffy looked on with eyes wide open as he gathered spiritual energy on his five claw like fingers and closed his hand into a fist.

"Shit" said Buffy as she saw Sado jump towards her at great speed before she rolled away and he punched the ground where she just stood.

Buffy looked on as cracks appeared on the ground and spread past her.

"Giles" said Willow as she ran to the Watcher after she saw the attack as well, "she's defenceless."

"Yes" said Urahara.

"Mr. Urahara" said Giles, "she is outmatched here, she can't…."

"Her life needs to be in grave danger" said Urahara, "when the hollows attacked her in the graveyard, her life was in danger so she unconsciously activated the armour. This is the only way for it to activate again."

"But…." said Giles.

"Despite what it seems" said Urahara, "Sado-san isn't using his full power."

"That's not his full power?" said Willow.

"No" replied Urahara, "Sado-san is a gentle soul and he's trying not to cause harm to Miss Summers. But as long as she doesn't know that, she'll keep on thinking her life is in danger."

"And her armour will activate to protect her" said Giles.

"Yes" said Urahara as he looked at Willow, "don't be concerned, Inoue-san will fix her up as good as new."

"I see" replied Willow as she looked at Buffy dodging Sado's attacks.

"Yoruichi told me you've wanted to learn kido?" said Urahara as he looked at Willow.

"Kido?" asked Giles.

"It's an extremely advanced form of magic" said Urahara.

"Oh" said Giles as he turned to Willow, "Willow, you still need to master your current powers before you can do anything advanced."

"I….." said Willow as Urahara interrupted her.

"Oh, Rukia-san!" shouted Urahara to Rukia who was practicing with Renji.

"You don't have to shout" said Rukia as she shunpo'd to where they were standing.

"You remember the techniques you learned in the Shin'O Academy about controlling your reiatsu for kido?" asked Urahara.

"Yes" said Rukia, "why?"

"Can you please teach some of those techniques to Willow?" asked Urahara.

Willow turned her eyes away once she noticed that Rukia was glaring at her.

'_She knows what I did to Ichigo'_ thought Willow to herself.

"Control over her current levels of magic could improve with those techniques" said Urahara.

"It's alright" said Willow, "Tara showed me some techniques, I guess I'll go practice now."

"Nonsense" said Urahara, "you can do both Tara's techniques and Rukia-san's techniques, it won't hurt."

"Fine" sighed Rukia as she walked towards Willow, "follow me. First I'll show you what happens when your reiatsu is unfocused."

"Alright" said Willow in surprise as she followed Rukia.

"Hey Renji!" shouted Rukia, "Get over…., what?"

Suddenly Rukia and Urahara turned around to face Sado and Buffy as they felt a small burst of reiatsu.

"She did it" smiled Urahara as he saw Buffy, who was clad in black armour, push away Sado before jumping towards him as the blade on each of her forearms extended.

"Brazo Derecho del Gigante" said Sado as he raised up his right arm while a red liquid appeared and instantly formed a shield which he used to block Buffy's attack.

"Interesting" said Sado as he pushed away Buffy.

"What?" said Buffy as she looked at herself, "what's going on?"

"Bravo… bravo" said Urahara as he approached Buffy with Giles, Willow and Rukia, "congratulations."

"What?" said Buffy in her muffled voice, "what is this? How? Giles?"

"Amazing" said Giles, "those symbols on your armour, its…. Wow… I need to consult my books on what they mean."

"Giles!" said Buffy's muffled voice as her mouth was covered with the armour.

"Miss Summers" said Urahara, "I need you to calm down and concentrate on just retracting the armour that's covering your mouth. Retract only that part and keep everything else."

"But…" said Buffy as she looked at Sado and then Giles.

"You can do it Buff" said Willow who stood amazed at Buffy.

"Alright" said Buffy as she closed her eyes and concentrated, "damn, it. Nothing's happening."

"Concentrate, Buffy" said Giles.

"I am" replied Buffy.

"Buff" said Willow as she held her hand, "try, please."

Buffy closed her eyes again and concentrated again. Willow and Giles looked on in amazement as the armour covering Buffy's mouth just seemed to turn into mist before it retreated back into her body.

"Wow" said Willow, "and I mean wow."

"I'm ok?" said Buffy, "hey, I got my voice back."

"Interesting" said Urahara.

"Agreed" replied Giles.

"Ok" said Buffy as she looked at Both Urahara and Giles, "I want an explanation, what the hell just happened to me?"

TBC.


	28. The Talk

**Magic Box, Underground Training Area**

"Giles" said Buffy as she stood with her hands on her now armoured hips, "what the hell is going on? And what am I covered in?"

"Buffy" said Giles as he approached the Slayer, "it's…. Well… it's a bit complicated."

"Try me" said Buffy.

"Giles?" asked Willow, "this is new right? Has something like this happened to any Slayer before?"

"No" said Giles, "or else it would have been known to the Council and put into the Watcher's Diary's."

"Wow, Buff" said Willow as she reached out and ran her hand over the smooth armour, "how?"

"That's what I'd like to know" said Buffy

"Mr. Giles?" said Urahara, "may I?"

"Of… Of course" said Giles.

"Hey" said Ichigo as he shunpo'd down the stairs with the snacks in hand, "I felt a small burst of reiatsu and thought… woah."

"Ah… Kurosaki-san" said Urahara as the small group turned around to find the substitute Shinigami heading towards them, "right on time."

"Is that the armour Ichida told me about?" asked Ichigo.

"Wait" said Buffy, "you knew about this?"

"My friend told me about it" said Ichigo, "by the time I arrived to carry you back, the armour had vanished."

"Not vanished" said Urahara, "it retreated back into her body."

"This is weird" said Buffy,

"Weirder than the usual weird?" asked Willow.

"Yeah" said Buffy as she looked at her hands and the armour that ran along her body.

"So" said Ichigo as he turned to Urahara, "my reiatsu is responsible for this?"

"You caused this?" asked Willow.

"Yes" said Urahara as Willow and Buffy stared at Ichigo, "you see, Kurosaki-san's reiatsu or his spirit energy, if you will, is extremely powerful. Almost double or triple that of a captain in Soul Society. However, it's unfocused and uncontrolled, so it constantly leaks into the surrounding environment. Especially people."

"Oh" said Buffy and Willow at the same time.

"But the armour looks like Sado's" said Ichigo.

"Yes" said Sado, "except how it simply appeared. It was like a fine black mist covered her body before it solidified and became the armour you see before you."

"Fullbring?" asked Ichigo.

"What's a fullbring?" asked Giles.

"I can explain that to you at a later date" said Urahara, "but no, it's not a Fullbring."

"Kinda guessed" said Ichigo, "just needed to be sure."

"Miss Summers…. Buffy" said Urahara before Giles put a hand on his shoulder and stepped forward.

"I'm sorry, Buffy" said Giles, "but I hoped that I didn't have to explain about where the powers of a Slayer really came from."

"What… what do you mean?" asked Willow.

"Giles?" said Buffy.

"The power of the Slayer that's passed through the entire Slayer line" said Giles as he fiddled with his glasses, "is actually demonic in nature."

"What!" exclaimed Buffy and Willow.

"You see" said Urahara, "thousands of years ago, a group feeling that it was their duty to protect the world of the living wanted to create living weapons."

"The Slayer" said Buffy.

"Yes" said Urahara.

"Soul Society feared that this group would upset the flow of souls between the world of the living and Soul Society" Urahara continued as he looked at Buffy, "they were warned by Soul Society that it was the duty of the Shinigami to protect the world of the living"

"That's what you told me" said Ichigo.

"You knew?" said Buffy as she looked at Ichigo, hurt evident on her face.

"Yes" said Ichigo, "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you but it really wasn't my duty. My duty was to go to classes and fight hollows. They're my responsibility, while vampires and demons are yours."

"Anyway" said Urahara, "they were insistent upon creating this weapon of theirs. So Soul Society gave them a warning that if they chose to create this weapon, they could only create one at any one time so that the balance of souls could be controlled. They were warned that if the balance was disrupted because of their interference, the Soul Society would take punitive action."

"Meaning?" asked Giles.

"Soul Society would come down hard and destroy the entire line" said Urahara, "to maintain the balance, that is exactly what they would do. But due to this group employing the Slayer to go after demons and vampire and such instead of Hollows, they've been able to stay below Soul Society's radar for thousands of years."

"Mr. Urahara" said Giles, "what do you mean? Balance of Souls?"

"The Shinigami are responsible for governing the flow of Souls between the Soul Society and the world of the living" said Urahara, "any disturbance in the balance of souls that flow between Soul Society and the World of the Living could destroy both."

"Can that really happen?" asked Willow as she looked at Giles.

"Yes" said Urahara as he looked at Buffy, Willow and Giles, "anyway, back to Miss Summers."

"Ok" said Buffy.

"Mr. Giles said that you died and the power of the Slayer went on to the next person on the line" said Urahara.

"Yea" replied Buffy, "it moved on to Kendra and when she died, it moved on to Faith."

"I see" said Urahara.

"But that doesn't explain this" said Buffy as she lifted her armoured arms.

"The demon may have left your body" said Urahara, "but it still left its essence behind."

"Huh?" said Buffy.

"You've never wondered why you still have the powers of a Slayer?" asked Urahara.

"No… I mean I just thought…. I… I don't know" said Buffy.

"The essence of the demon is what provides you with your powers" said Urahara, "and once Kurosaki-san started to hang around you, the essence became supercharged because of his reiatsu, resulting in your armour. That armour will protect you, although I must admit that even I'm not sure the level of protection it could provide against a being like Glory. But it would increase your regular Slayer abilities to a greater level. I'm sure you feel it."

"Yea" said Buffy as she looked at her hands, "I can feel power just flowing through me. Kinda weird."

"While I believe the armour automatically covers your body when it senses your life is in danger" said Urahara as he was interrupted.

"Are you implying that the armour is alive?" asked Giles.

"In a way" said Urahara, "If Miss Summers had died when she faced the hollow in the graveyard, the essence of the demon would also have perished. It wasn't able to do anything earlier, but now that it's been supercharged, it enveloped Miss Summers to protect her and itself."

"And when Buffy concentrates" said Giles, "she can retract the armour and activate the armour at will?"

"She already proved she could, when she retracted the part covering her mouth" said Urahara.

"I want to learn to control this" said Buffy grinning as she looked at Giles and Urahara, "this is amazing."

"Then please" said Urahara, "come this way."

Ichigo and the others looked on as the armour clad Buffy, Giles and Urahara walked over to another section of the underground complex.

"Lets go" said Rukia as she grabbed Willows arm, "Urahara wanted me to teach you some techniques, so that's what I'll do."

"Hold on" said Ichigo as he ran towards Willow and Rukia before handing the both of them the bags of food, "you guys need lunch."

"Thanks" said Rukia, "you're not eating?"

"I'll be meeting up with Toshiro and Yuruichi-san" said Ichigo, "I want to see how far they are with finding Glory's location."

"She must be using some powerful kido to hide from us" said Rukia.

"I guess" replied Ichigo as he turned around, "see ya."

"Yea" said Rukia as she walked towards where Renji and Inoue was sitting down as Willow watched Ichigo run up the stairs before he shunpo'd away, "you coming?"

"Yes" said Willow as she turned around and followed Rukia.

**Soul Society, Seireitei, Thirteenth Division guest quarters.**

Joyce had woken up to a bright and sunny day in Soul Society as she walked up to the large glass windows and opened them before heading out into the balcony.

'So' thought Joyce to herself, 'this is the afterlife, this is heaven. Who would have thought?'

"Mom?" said Dawn as she slowly got up from bed, "good morning."

"Hey" said Joyce as she turned around to face her youngest daughter, "good morning, slept well?"

"Yeah" said Dawn as she rubbed her eyes.

"You?" asked Dawn.

"Yes" said Joyce as she looked out at a field of green, "its kind of peaceful over here"

"D'uh" smiled Dawn as she walked over to Joyce, "I mean this is heaven after all right?"

"Sure" smiled Joyce.

"How do you think Buffy's doing?" asked Dawn.

"She and the others probably haven't gone up against Glory yet" said Joyce, "or else we would have heard something."

"I guess" replied Dawn as her stomach grumbled.

"Hungry?" smiled Joyce.

"Yea" said Dawn sheepishly.

"Come on" said Joyce, "Helen said that she should be done with her meditation by now"

"Sure" said Dawn as the both of them changed into robes that Helen had provided for them.

It was twenty minutes later that Joyce and Dawn had walked down the stairs to the first floor.

"Why don't you look around while I go ahead to the kitchen, alright?" said Joyce.

"Sure" said Dawn as she walked towards another glass door which led to a porch overlooking a small Koi pond.

"Nice" she said as she opened the door and walked out into the bright, sunny day as she stretched her arms.

"Had a good night's sleep?" asked Helen who was sitting crossed legged on the far side of the porch with her eyes closed and her sword laying across her knees.

"Sorry" said Dawn sheepishly before she turned around, "I didn't mean to disturb you, I guess I'll go back inside and help mom with the breakfast."

"Its fine" said Helen as she opened her eyes and smiled at Dawn, "I'm kinda hungry too."

"Cool" smiled Dawn as she saw Helen grab onto the hilt of her sword as she got up before she put it into a purple sheathe before she followed Dawn into the house and closed the glass doors, "if you don't mind me asking, what were you doing just now?"

"You mean with my sword?" asked Helen as they walked towards the living room which was adjacent to the kitchen.

"Yeah" replied Dawn

Dawn looked on as Helen look her sword on both hands before she carefully lay it down on the holder and stepped back. Helen then smiled at her sword before she turned around with Dawn and headed to the kitchen.

"Its called Jinzen" said Helen, as they entered the kitchen "it's when….."

"Good morning" said Joyce who had already started to make some toast.

"Morning" replied Helen as she walking into the kitchen, "eggs?"

"Dawnie?" said Joyce.

"Sure" replied Dawn as she smiled.

"The lady has spoken" smiled Joyce.

"She certainly has" laughed Helen as she took out the eggs while Joyce took out some pans.

"Mrs Maclay?" said Dawn.

"Just call me Helen, Dawn"

"Cool" replied Dawn as she grinned, "so you were saying something about Jinzen?"

"Jinzen?" asked Joyce as she looked at Helen and then at Dawn.

"It's a type of meditation" said Helen as she cracked the eggs into a bowl, "I'm trying to get to communicate with my sword."

"Communicate with your sword?" said Joyce confused as Dawn sat at the kitchen counter as she listened eagerly.

"The official word for my sword is Asauchi" said Helen, "it's a sword that doesn't have a name."

"Oh" said Dawn, "wait, swords have names? I mean, don't you name your sword?"

"Nope" replied Helen as she handed the bowl of cracked eggs to Joyce before pouring some juice in three glasses, "you see, the first thing they taught me at the Academy was that every student's sword, every Soul Reaper's sword has his, or hers, own name."

"Really?" said Joyce as she looked back at Helen, "you're talking as if those swords, as if your sword was alive."

"She is alive" said Helen.

"Huh?" replied Dawn and Joyce together.

"How can a sword be alive?" asked Dawn, "I mean, unless its possessed or something."

"I thought the same thing too" said Helen, "until I met Ichigo the day he brought Tara here."

"Oh" said Joyce.

"He and Rukia explained to us that every sword was alive" said Helen, "they had their own personalities, they own hiccups, they could even sulk."

"That's cool" said Dawn, "right mom?"

"So" said Joyce as she started to scramble the eggs, "you're saying that every sword has a soul?"

"Yes" said Helen, "technically my sword is a reflection of my own soul. The name of the sword is actually the name is the living spirit that's in the sword."

"Neat" said Dawn, "so do you know your swords name?"

"No" said Helen as she helped Joyce portion out the eggs onto the plates, "that's why I do Jinzen as I was taught by my instructor. I want to know her name so that we can get to know one another better. Actually, she knows more about me than I know about her. Hopefully that will change soon."

"Your sword is female?" asked Joyce.

"Yes" said Helen.

"So did Tara enjoy herself here?" asked Dawn.

"Dawn" said Joyce as she looked at her daughter, "what kind of a question is that?"

"Its just a question, mom" said Dawn.

"It's quite alright. It was amazing to see Tara again" said Helen as she smiled to herself, "when Ichigo and Rukia first came to see me and mentioned Tara, I actually thought that she died, that her father had killed her."

"Willow mentioned that her father, brother and cousin had come to force her back home" said Joyce.

"Yes" said Tara, "the women in my family have always had affinity for powerful magic. Even I, although my mother helped train me to control it and, before I died, I helped Tara in controlling hers. Anyway, the men from my husband's side of the family have the women convinced that their magic is demonic; that if they don't follow the instructions of the men, then they would be considered sinful and would eventually go to hell."

"That's so cruel" said Joyce as she handed Helen and Dawn a plate of food before they walked to the porch outside and sat down.

"That's my married life for you" said Helen, "but Tara was the only bright spot in my life. I thought I'd never see her again, or that it would be years before I saw her again; but then came Ichigo telling me that he brought Tara to see me for her birthday."

"That must have been some sight" smiled Joyce.

"It was" replied Helen, "it was amazing to hold her in my arms again. It was funny actually, I thought he was dating Tara."

"Really?" replied Joyce as she took a sip of her juice.

"Yeah" said Helen as she took a sip from her glass of juice, "you should have seen their faces when they corrected me; Ichigo is particular was turning red from embarrassment."

"That one's a character alright" laughed Joyce, "even my hell raiser there has a crush on him."

"What?!" said Dawn, "he's hot."

"He's too old" said Joyce as Helen laughed.

"Well" said Helen as she calmed down from her laughing fit, "that was my first impression. Then Tara told me she's in a relationship with Willow."

"Yea" said Joyce, "they've been going out for quite some time now."

"I remember they always used to practice at least some sort of magic together" said Dawn.

"Every time?" asked Helen.

"Pretty much" replied Dawn.

"Oh" said Helen as she looked at her plate.

"Are you alright?" asked Joyce as she looked at Helen.

"Huh?" said Helen, "oh, yes. Actually, I was just wondering."

"About?" asked Joyce.

"Tara and I haven't talked much about Willow" said Helen, "can you tell me about her?"

"You haven't talked about her girlfriend?" asked Dawn.

"I mean all Tara told me is that she's a real powerful witch" said Helen, "other than that, I mean we've spent every single moment just going to places in Seireitei with Ichigo and some of his friends here. But I… I don't know.. I guess I…."

"You're against Tara dating a girl?" asked Joyce.

"No!" said Helen as she shook her head, "I mean… I'm just afraid for Tara."

"What's there to be afraid off?" asked Joyce, "Willow's one of the nicest girls I know, she's my daughters best friend so she used to have sleep-over's at my house. We became close during those times so don't worry, Tara's in good hands."

"I'm just worried about Willow's magic use" Helen admitted, "I've known many powerful witches in my life, and not everyone uses their powers for the good of others; not for altruistic means."

"Willow's not like that" said Joyce, "at first I didn't understand this whole magic thing too, but now…. I guess I've grown to accept it."

"What did you mean?" asked Dawn, "when you said that not everyone uses magic for altruistic means?"

"There are some Witches" said Helen, "and I used to know them pretty well, who would use their powers for selfish reasons. You know to make things easier for themselves, others don't respect magic's power, then the most frightening of all are the ones who get addicted to magic. My mother and I have seen it happen to so many witches. So you can understand, as a mother as well, that I'd be concerned about my daughter."

"What would you like to know?" asked Joyce as she nodded her head in understanding.

TBC.


	29. BUffy and the Shadow

**Magic Box, 4:00pm**

"Hello Tara" said Masaki as she approached the young blonde witch.

"Masaki" smiled Tara, "let me guess I fell asleep again, didn't I?"

"Yes" said Masaki, "you were helping Anya around the store. So, to take a break, you took a seat and lay your head on the table and simply nodded off."

"Oh" replied Tara, "not going to be good for my back though."

"No it's not" said Masaki, "but then again, you're young… so…. There."

"Right" smiled Tara.

"Oops" said Masaki as she looked to Masaki's right, towards the back training area, "look like Ichigo's just left."

"You can tell?" asked Tara.

"Yes" said Masaki, "tell you what? How about I teach you later how to sense reiatsu? I mean, with your own reiatsu combined with Ichigo's, you can do a lot of stuff."

"Really?" asked Tara.

"Why not?" asked Masaki, "what's holding you back?"

"Magic, for one thing" said Tara, "I prefer not to use it too much, unless I absolutely have to."

"This isn't magic" said Masaki, "you'll be using your own reiatsu to sense the reiatsu of other beings."

"Maybe later?" asked Tara as she looked at the ground.

"Ummm… sure" said Masaki as she scratched her head, "what's up?"

"You saw, didn't you?" asked Tara as she looked back up, "about what I asked Ichigo."

"Oh" said Masaki as she walked closer to Tara, "yes… yes I did."

"Why did he lie to me?" asked Tara, "I asked him to his face if he had any feelings for me and he lied."

"What did you expect him to say, Tara?" asked Masaki, "that he loves you? That he has feelings for you? You're a smart girl; even you can't be that naïve."

"But….." said Tara.

"And if Ichigo did say he has feelings for you" asked Masaki as she put both her hands on Tara's shoulders, "would you have returned those feelings? Would you have left Willow for my son?"

"I…. I…. don't know" said Tara as she looked away from Masaki's eyes.

"Ichigo didn't want you to choose between him and Willow" said Masaki, "he didn't want to drive a wedge between the both of you. Don't get me wrong, he'll protect you and the others with his last breath but he doesn't want you and Willow to break up over him."

"Do you know what happened between him and Willow in the training area?" asked Tara.

"No" said Masaki, "I'm not aware of everything after Urahara sealed whatever reiatsu you absorbed from Ichigo."

"Oh" said Tara.

"But" said Masaki, "I know that Willow loves you very much, and that day in the back yard when Ichigo carried Buffy back to the house Willow said that she doesn't want to lose you like she lost Oz."

"I…." said Tara.

"Have you noticed Willow and Ichigo mixing around much?" asked Masaki, "sure they did during your birthday and periods before that and some period after, but after you got back from Soul Society. Have you noticed any difference?"

"They don't hang out as much" said Tara, "but then again, I don't mix around with Buffy and the others that much either, but that doesn't mean that I'm avoiding them or they're avoiding me."

"My goodness" said Masaki as she ran her hand through her hair, "you sure are just like Ichigo sometimes, as dense as a rock."

"Hey" smiled Tara, "I take exception to that."

"Tara" said Masaki, "You saw Willow and Ichigo go into the training area together, then after a while Willow came out by herself. Then you noticed Rukia go in, followed by Orihime."

"Yeah" said Tara, "Ichigo said that he wanted to relax for a bit and that…."

"Tara" said Masaki, "why do you think…. And I mean YOU…. why do YOU think Ichigo lied to you when you asked him if he had feelings for you?"

"Like you said…" said Tara before Masaki interrupted Tara.

"Listen to me" said Masaki, "why do YOU think he said no?"

"He wanted to preserve the relationship between Willow and me" said Tara, "but what does that…."

"You got it" said Masaki, "now it's up to you to find out what happened, that is if you want to."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Tara.

"Does it really matter to you if you find out what the two of them talked about?" asked Masaki.

"Of course it does" said Tara.

"Why?" asked Masaki.

"Because I want the truth" said Tara.

"Why?" asked Masaki.

"Because he's my friend" said Tara as the scene around her suddenly changed into a barren landscape just like the underground complex beneath the Magic Box.

"Move to the left, my dear" said Masaki as the both of them moved to the left just as Ichigo ran past them carrying some items and was being chased by a little girl.

"What's going on?" asked Tara.

"Umm….." said Masaki as she looked around, "Urahara's underground training complex under his shop."

"But.. how…" said Tara.

"I guess you just entered a deep state of sleep and started to unconsciously access the reiatsu memories" said Masaki.

"Kurosaki-san!" shouted Urahara from a distance as Tara turned to look at the blonde man before looking at Ichigo.

"What's that chain thing coming from Ichigo's chest?" asked Tara.

"His chain of fate" said Masaki, "this is Urahara's training schedule for Ichigo to regain his Shinigami powers."

"Oh" said Tara.

"It's his spirit body" said Masaki as she turned Tara's shoulders and pointed to a body that was lying on the ground, "while that's his real body, and the chain is connected to the body… meaning that the spirit can return to the physical body."

"Oh" said Tara.

"But" said Masaki, "if you cut the chain of fate, then that's it. No more going back into your body, for all intents and purposes, you're dead."

"I see" said Tara.

"Kurosaki-san" shouted Urahara again, "put on the protective gear by saying this special spell."

"What special spell?" said Ichigo as he stopped and shouted back.

"Spell?" asked Tara.

"Urahara like to have fun" replied Masaki.

"You have to say 'Take this, the powers of justice! Justice Armour! Justice Hachimaki! Attack!'" shouted Urahara.

"That's a spell?" as Tara as she stared confused at Masaki.

"Urahara" is a very warped person.

"There's no way I'm saying that you idiot!" shouted Ichigo just as Tara saw the little girl launch a punch at Ichigo, which he managed to dodge.

"What was that?" asked Tara in shock, "that girl created a small crater, who.. what?"

"That girl" said Masaki, "is strong enough to face off against Shinigami, do you think a normal soul like Ichigo had any luck?"

"Then why…." Said Tara as Ichigo shouted back.

"Fine… fine" said Ichigo as he ran while putting on the gear and said the spell very loudly, but nothing happened.

"Huh?" said Tara.

"I can't believe you actually said that!" laughed Urahara.

"You bastard" shouted Ichigo as Tara and Masaki were laughing.

"Oh" said Tara as she wiped her tears after having laughed for a few minutes, "that was just…. What's going on?"

"Huh?" said Masaki as the both of them watched Ichigo fly into a boulder after the girl had kicked him, "Oh, he cleared Urahara's first lesson."

"Huh?" said Tara as she followed Masaki to where Ichigo was slowly standing up.

"You see" said Masaki, "when a soul is separated from its body, it's hard to move and breath."

"Why?" asked Tara as she looked at Ichigo walk towards Urahara.

"He's a normal ghost now" said Masaki, "his Soul Sleep and Binding Chain have been completely destroyed. For him to move freely, he needed to restore his Spiritual Power. The best way for him to raise his Spiritual Power so that he could move freely is when the spiritual body is in danger of being destroyed. The fact that he was able to dodge the young girl's punch, which unfortunately we missed, before she kicked him proved that Ichigo's spiritual powers have returned."

"If he wasn't able to dodge?" asked Tara.

"Then the soul would have been killed" said Masaki.

"Oh" said Tara.

"Now Tara" said Masaki, "you wanted to know why Ichigo has a hollow?"

"Huh?" said Tara.

"You're about to find out" said Masaki, "and I'm so sorry but I need you to remember that whatever you see is just his memory. Just remember that. Nothing is real. Everything's already happened."

"What do you mean?" asked Tara as she watched Ichigo's mother look on in sadness, "Masaki?"

Tara looked on with her mouth covered in shock as a tall man took an axe and cut off Ichigo's Chain of Fate.

"Masaki!" said Tara, "without his Chain of Fate….."

"I know" nodded Masaki as the two women saw a huge hole open up in the ground, "my son just died."

"But…." said Tara as she followed Masaki into the hole.

Once they reached the bottom of the hole, the both of them saw Ichigo panting on the ground as he lay on his side.

"What's going on?" asked Tara, "the Chain….. it's shorter than before."

"Once the chain was cut" said Masaki, "the ends started to devour themselves. It would start off slowly but as time goes on, the chain would literally devour itself. No one can stop it and if you do, the chain will take a chunk of flesh from your hands or whatever it finds near. At the end, the rate of the devouring process is faster and more painful."

"What?!" said Tara.

"Once the corrosion reaches his chest" said Masaki as she closed her eyes, "a hole will form and he will become a hollow."

"No!" said Tara.

"And that man, Tessai, is there" said Masaki as she pointed at the same man who cut Ichigo's Chain of Fate earlier, "his duty is to kill Ichigo should he become a hollow. Which will happen in a few seconds."

"Masaki" said Tara, "please, I don't think I can…."

"You wanted to see" said Masaki as she turned to face Tara, "you wanted to see how he got the hollow inside him, you wanted to know why Anya called him the 'hero of the war with a monster inside'. Please, this is what he had to go through to get his Shinigami powers back so that he could save Rukia. Even if you don't have any feelings for him, at least respect him enough to see what he's gone through."

"It's happening now" said Masaki before turning to face her son as he started to scream in pain.

"Masaki" said Tara as she started to tear up, "please."

"Tara" said Masaki as she squeezed her hand, "the only way for him to stop the transformation into a hollow is to become a Shinigami. Please, don't look away."

"Masaki" said Tara.

"Ichigo stayed in this hole for three days" said Masaki, "this is the final stage, the most painful stage."

"No!" shouted Ichigo as he saw the links all the links in the chain consume themselves before she looked up the hole at Urahara and the others who were looking down, "Stop… you guys come and stop this now!"

"Oh God" said Tara as Ichigo stopped screaming as the links were all eaten away and the plate on his chest broke.

A few seconds later. she saw Ichigo look up at her face. It was as if he was looking straight at into her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Ichigo" said Tara with tears in her eyes while looking at Ichigo as he started to howl in pain.

"He couldn't see you" said Masaki as she held on to a trembling Tara.

Tara looked in horror as a white substance started to form around Ichigo's face.

"His mask" said Tara as her legs trembled.

"Yes" said Masaki, "but, despite all that pain, Ichigo's still fighting in there."

"What do you mean?" asked Tara as Masaki grabbed her and jumped up to the surface.

"When a person becomes a hollow" said Masaki as they landed on the surface, "the soul literally explodes and then regroups to form the hollow."

"But Ichigo didn't explode" said Tara.

"No" replied Masaki, "his body is still intact and the transformation just started with his mask which represents his resistance."

"He'll become a Shinigami" said Tara.

"Yes" said Masaki, "but…"

"What's that?" asked Tara as a shadow started to spread in the ground and she looked up, only to see a huge block falling into the hole.

"That's a part of Tessai's kido" said Masaki, "the final option to kill Ichigo since he's already started to transform."

"Ichigo will be alright" said Tara as he looked at Masaki, "right?"

Before Masaki could answer, there was a huge explosion of reiatsu from the hole that blew everyone, except for the two women, back.

"What's going on?" asked Tara as she looked up at a trail of smoke before it landed in front of them in a cloud of smoke, "I saw someone escape."

"Look" said Masaki as she pointed to the dust cloud in front of them as it revealed Ichigo in the traditional black Shinigami robes with a mask on his face.

"He did it" said Tara as she saw Ichigo head towards Urahara as he took out his sword.

"What happened?" asked Tara when she saw the broken sword.

"That's not his sword" said Masaki while they approached Ichigo.

They walked in front of Ichigo as he stopped and looked at Urahara with his mask on, before he smashed the mask that was on his face with the hilt of his sword.

"He did it" said Masaki, "he's regained his Shinigami powers."

"Lesson two" shouted Urahara, "has been cleared."

"You idiot" said Ichigo as he smashed the hilt of his sword into Urahara's face, "I made a promise that as long as I get out of that hole alive, I'll kill you."

"Oh boy" said Masaki as Tara looked on.

"Good, good" said Urahara as he rubbed his nose, "I like your attitude, means we can start off with the third test."

"Third test?" asked Tara as she looked at Masaki while Ichigo and Urahara were talking.

"The third test is Ichigo gaining Zangetsu" said Masaki.

"But I thought that sword…." Said Tara before she saw Urahara grab the handle on his cane, and pull it out.

"The cane is the sheathe for his sword?" asked Tara.

"Yes" said Masaki.

"So five minutes you say?" asked Urahara while his face took on a serious look as Tara and Masaki looked on, "very well, you try to finish me off in five minutes."

Tara looked on as Ichigo ran with Urahara chasing him for a little while until he stopped and turned to face Urahara. She watched as Ichigo swung what was left of his sword down but instead of Urahara's sword blocking it, she saw his sword cut right through Ichigo's sword and hit his body, which was niot bleading.

"What just happened?" asked Tara.

"Ichigo knew that only Zanpakutō's could cut Shinigami" said Masaki, "he had no idea that Urahara himself is a Shinigami. Tara, that man is Kisuke Urahara, the former Captain of the twelfth division of the Gotei 13."

"What?" said Tara, "you're telling me that guy is a Captain?"

"Yes" said Masaki as they saw Urahara call out his sword, Benihime, before Ichigo started to run again before turning around to face Urahara with his Shikai activated. Tara looked on as Urahara swung Benihime down and cut through what was remaining of Ichigo's sword before he ran off again with the hilt.

"What's going on?" asked Tara as she saw Ichigo running away in a panic before he suddenly stopped.

"It's Ichigo" said Masaki, "all this while, Zangetsu has been calling out to him. He's been telling Ichigo to call for him."

"Why doesn't he?" asked Tara.

"Ichigo's afraid" said Masaki, "he can see Zangetsu in front of him but he can't hear his name. His fear is blocking all his other senses. But he encouraged Ichigo, told him that he's only one man fighting another lone man, that there's nothing to be afraid off. He told his to always look forward, never back, because that's what bring about courage. Without any courage, there'll be death. Watch him Tara, watch him let go of his fear."

Tara watched as Ichigo's back was to Urahara as he raised his sword up to an attacking stance. She then saw Ichigo smash the hilt of the broken sword into his other hand as a bright coloured energy wave emitted from Ichigo.

"That's his reiatsu" said Helen as Tara covered her eyes.

"It's…. It's beautiful" said Tara, "but I also see darkness."

"Zangetsu!" shouted Ichigo as he turned around and fired an energy wave at a very surprised Urahara.

"He did it" smiled Tara as the cloud cleared and she looked at Ichigo and at Zangetsu, "but that still doesn't look the same, his sword I mean. And his uniform is all different."

"That comes later" said Masaki.

"Lesson three, cleared" said Urahara.

Tara and Masaki looked on as Ichigo raised his sword.

"Sorry Urahara-san" said Ichigo, "I don't think I can stop this."

"Ichigo" said Tara, "wait!"

"Tara" said a voice, "Tara, wake up."

"Huh!" said Tara as she snapped her eyes open and sat up, "what? Where?"

"Hey" said Xander, "you were asleep, thought it looked painful the way you were position. Thought it would be better if you just went to the couch in the back training room."

"Oh" said Tara, "how long was I out?"

"About three hours" said Xander.

"Oh" said Tara.

"Are you alright?" asked Xander as she sat beside the blonde.

"Yeah" said Tara as she rubbed her face with her hands, "where's Willow?"

"Downstairs, I think" said Xander.

"OK" replied Tara as she stood up and turned towards the back room, "I need to talk to her."

**Magic Box, Underground Training Complex, at the same time.**

"Buffy" said Giles, "you need to sit still and concentrate."

"Doesn't help when that doofus there is trying to hit me" replied Buffy as she pointed at Urahara.

"That's a first" said Urahara, "never been called that before."

"I am sorry for her behaviour" said Giles as he looked at Urahara.

'Don't worry about it" said Urahara, "Kurosaki-san was much worse."

"Now Buffy" said Giles, "maybe some tea will help you relax."

"Alright" said Buffy as she grabbed the cup from Giles and took a sip, "hey, tastes great. A bit too minty."

"Minty?" said Giles, "there's no mint….. Buffy!"

Giles watched in shock at Buffy started to get dizzy before her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she started to fall back.

"Buffy!" said Giles as he got up and reached for his Slayer just as Urahara shunpo'd behind her and caught her head before laying it down gently on the ground.

"Sorry" said Urahara as he looked at Giles, "this was the only way."

"What did you do?" asked Giles angrily.

"Don't worry" said Urahara, "the herb I placed in there is safe. She's in a deep stae of relaxation, she'll be fine."

"But.." said Giles, "that was unethical."

"Maybe" said Urahara, "but we don't have much time for her to convince the essence of the demon inside her that its powers, all of its powers belong to her now."

"What's going to happen?" asked Giles.

"She'll fight the demon for control" said Urahara, "if she's successful, she can control her armour at will. She can activate any part of it at any time."

"And if not?" asked Giles.

"Buffy will become the demon" said Urahara, "even though it's just the essence, it's still a being of evil. The more it wins, the more its soul will suppress Buffy's. She'll become the demon itself."

"What prevented it from taking over before?" asked Giles.

"Buffy never faced it in battle before" said Urahara, "she's now going into its own territory. And the demon won't like that. Think about it, if it was an affront to you to be put into someone just so that they can take your strength and other abilities; and then they have to make it worse by actually facing you and telling you that they want it all, they want full control of you. What would you do?"

"Go all out" said Giles.

"Yes" said Urahara, "but unlike what your Council does to Slayers on their eighteenth birthday….."

"Soul Society knows about that?" asked Giles.

"Yes" said Urahara, "Anyway, Buffy will have her strength when she faces the demon. Don't worry about that, just hope that it's Buffy who awakens not the demon."

"What happens if it's the demon?" asked Giles.

"She'll be destroyed" said Urahara as his face became serious.

**Location Unknown.**

"Son of a bitch" said Buffy as she looked around at her surroundings and found herself in some sort of a cave, "I'm gonna kill that Blondie and Giles."

"Kill" said a low voice.

"Hello?" said Buffy as she looked around in the shadows that were being cast in the cave.

"Hello" said the same voice again.

"Ok" said Buffy, "this isn't funny."

"Funny" said the voice again this time from behind her.

"Hey" said Buffy as she was pushed into the ground.

As Buffy got up, she started to hear laughter all around her.

"Buffy" said the voice of her mother, "you're useless, you couldn't save anyone. It was your fault that I divorced your father."

"Mom?" said Buffy, "no, you're not my mom."

"What's up B" said Faith's voice, "why did you do that? I needed you to help me, I wanted you to help me. Why did you try to kill me? Why did you try again? All I wanted was your help and acceptance."

"Faith" said Buffy as she turned around again, "no…. not Faith."

Buffy then heard the voices of all her friends shouting at her and putting her down. All Buffy could do was close her eyes and ears because of the pain.

"Shut up!" screamed Buffy, "Come out and face me! All of you. Come out and face me you cowards!"

"My.. my" said another voice, Buffy's voice.

"Now what?" said Buffy.

"I know why you are here, child" said the voice again.

"Come out" said Buffy as she took an attacking stance.

"You sure?" asked the voice as it laughed, "human's and their bravado."

"Then that means you are a coward" replied Buffy.

"You really want to see?" said the voice, "you think you can control me?"

"Yes" said Buffy.

"Very well" said the voice as it came out of the shadows.

Buffy looked on in shock as she slowly put her hands back down to her sides.

"What the hell?" said Buffy as she saw what looked like a living shadow take the form of her armoured self, except this demonic version of her had red eyes and black hair instead of her blonde locks. Buffy looked on in shock as a sword from each forearm extended.

"Come now" said this 'Dark Buffy', "if you want control, beat me. Or else I'll kill you."

TBC


	30. BUffy and the Shadow (Part 2)

**Buffy's Mindscape.**

"You are weak" said Dark Buffy as she gave a back handed fist to Buffy's face that flung her from where she was standing to the wall of the far end of the cave.

"AHHH!" screamed Buffy as she hit the wall hard and fell onto the floor.

"I'm not weak" said Buffy as she started to stand up again before she saw the demonic version of her walked towards her as the blades extended. Buffy looked on at the demon walked over a shadow and simply fell in.

'What the hell?' thought Buffy to herself as she slowly stood up and then suddenly arched her back in pain before she rolled forward and turned around while getting into an attacking stance. She looked on in shock as Dark Buffy's blade extended hand appeared out of the shadow that was earlier behind her. She then saw Dark Buffy come out of the shadow and stand in front of her.

"Ok" said Buffy, "that was just cool."

**Magic Box, Underground Training Area.**

"Mr. Urahara" said Giles as he got another wet towel to wipe of the blood that was dripping from Buffy's back.

"This is similar to what we Shinigami call Jinzen" said Urahara.

"Jinzen?" asked Giles.

"Yes" said Urahara, "you see, every Shinigami uses Jinzen to communicate with their Zanpakuto or Soul Cutter."

"Wait" said Giles as he looked at Urahara in surprise, "you're telling that these Soul Cutters… these swords are alive?"

"Yes" said Urahara, "each sword has its own name, its own personality. My point is that Buffy is in a state of Jinzen."

"Oh" said Giles.

"She is now fighting with the demon and this Jinzen-like trance is so deep that whatever injuries she receives from the demon, will be reflected onto her real body" said Urahara.

"But you said that she would still have her strength" said Giles.

"Yes" replied Urahara, "but she's fighting with the essence of the demon. Just think of the essence as the demon itself, the original if you will. The strength that Buffy has is a copy of the strength of the demon. The demon is the original source of the strength so it, logically speaking, would be much stronger than Buffy."

"So she's got no hope?" said Giles is shock.

"She does" said Urahara, "she just needs to remember why she's fighting and for who."

"But these injuries" said Giles as the both of them looked down at the bruises and cuts on Buffy's body which had already reverted back to its un-armoured form a few seconds after Buffy had drank the tea.

"The demon won't kill her" said Urahara, "it needs her body, if it defeats Buffy's soul, which it's fighting right now, it will be suppressed and the demon will take over."

"If that happens?" asked Giles.

"I'll have no choice but to kill her" said Urahara.

"You won't even try and get to her?" asked Giles.

"She has that chance now" said Urahara, "that's why she's fighting. But despite everything she does right now, what makes you think that she'd do better once she's been taken over?"

"I can hope" said Giles, "hope that if she is taken over, that she will continue to fight."

"I see" said Urahara, "I sincerely hope that you're right. Because the way it seems to be going, we may be testing your theory very soon."

**Buffy's Mindscape.**

Buffy lay on the floor of the cave facing up as the demonic version of her held her down with her foot on her chest.

"And you wanted my power?" said Dark Buffy, "you are such a child, what makes you think that you could come here and try to control me?"

"I will control you" hissed Buffy.

"I was mistaken" said the demon as she pressed her foot into Buffy's chest as the blonde girl screamed, "you are not only just a child, you are a foolish child. Just give up, I can do a much better job than you. All you do is lose."

"No" said Buffy as she grabbed Dark Buffy's foot that was on her chest and tried to push it away.

"You lost Angel, you couldn't protect your mother, you'll fail your sister" grinned Dark Buffy maniacally, "you attempted to murder your sister slayer, your boyfriend left you and now you insult me by dealing with a bunch of Shinigami. Not only do you lose everyone in your life, but you are weak as well."

"No" said Buffy, "shut up."

"You've always fought alone" said Dark Buffy, "that's why you will fail today, that's why I will throw you into the depths of this cave after you've been entirely humiliated and then…."

Buffy watched as the demon grinned even wider.

"And then" said the demon, "your body will be mine."

"No" said Buffy, "they'll stop you if you do."

"You think your friends will go against you?" said the demon, "they'll try to help you, and in that one moment of weakness… I will chop off their heads, but not before having fun."

"No" said Buffy as she finally managed to push away the leg that was holding her down and she got up as fast as humanly possible, you will stay away from them."

"Your mother and sister are somewhere else, beyond my touch" said Dark Buffy as she licked her lips, "but Xander… umm… Xander…. I've got some ideas for him and Anya. Involves a bed and then using my swords to dismember them. I'll hang their body parts all over this wretched city."

"Fuck you!" screamed Buffy as she punched the demon which ducked and attempted to kick Buffy which she blocked. Buffy grabbed the leg that the demon kicked her with and swung the demon onto a wall. She looked on in surprise as the demon went through the shadow being cast on the wall before she was punched from behind.

"Damn it" shouted Buffy as she fell forward before quickly standing up again and turning around to face Dark Buffy.

"That's all you can do?" said the demon, "I knew that you can't save them. I told you what I'll do to Xander and Anya. What do you think I'll do to Tara? Beautiful Tara.. her soul is absolute innocence; so pure and white. I'll enjoy corrupting her soul and her body. Then come's Willow."

"You" said Buffy as she attempted a backhanded fist at the demon which it dodged laughing, "don't you dare talk about her."

"Sweet Willow" said the demon as she extended a sword and slashed at Buffy's chest, which she was lucky to dodge, "sweet, sweet Willow. I am sure that she tastes of strawberries. The darkness that resides within her,,, so delicious… maybe I won't kill her.. I'll make her my attack dog, after all she's been following you like a little puppy dog for a long time."

"Shut up!" screamed Buffy as she ran towards the demon and attempted a flying kick which the demon caught and then flung her against the wall. Buffy smashed back down onto the floor as she cried in pain.

"Cry" said Dark Buffy as she walked towards Buffy who was crying but still trying to get up as the demon kicked her hard into her stomach. Buffy opened her mouth in pain as she opened her mouth in pain, only to have blood drip out.

"Who else is there?" said the demon as it followed Buffy as she crawled away, "ah yes, Giles. He's easy…. He sees you like a father sees a daughter, how else to humiliate him than by… you know…. I'll use your body to give him the pleasure he craves… the pleasure every human craves. And then, I rip his head off and use it as a receptacle."

"You're sick" said Buffy as she leaned on the wall as she slowly got up.

"Humans are sick" said Dark Buffy, "just giving your sick body what it craves."

"Then I'll take Faith" said Dark Buffy as it gave an evil grin, "you don't care about her right? You tried to murder her even, so you won't care if she dies."

"Stop" said Buffy as she got into an attacking stance.

"I'll find Faith" said the Demon as she walked towards Buffy, "I'll ensure the entire Slayer line is destroyed by taking back what is rightfully mine. The rest of my soul, the rest of my essence."

"No" said Buffy with her eyes wide open.

"My soul keeps calling to me" said Dark Buffy as she looked up and closed her eyes, "I can feel it, it wants to be together again. Ask me what I'll do to Faith?"

"Stay away from her" said Buffy.

"Oh you care about her now?" said Dark Buffy as she ran to the blonde girl and grabbed her throat before slamming her against a wall, "ask me."

"No" said Buffy as she hissed at the demon.

"ASK ME!" screamed the demon as it punched Buffy in the chest.

"What…." Said Buffy as she tried to catch a breath, "what… what will you do?"

"I am glad you asked" said the Demon as it let go of Buffy and she fell onto the floor before struggling to get up again.

"When I find her" said the demon, "I'll apologize for everything I… or you… did to her and beg for her forgiveness. All it takes for the transfer is body contact, so I'll make sure to pleasurably abuse and humiliate her body as much as possible. I will absorb my soul into your body, leaving her week. I'll give her such pleasure using your body that when she says that she loves you, she'll feel a sword being plunged through her chest. I'll look into her eyes with happiness… and her eyes…. Oh her eyes! I can't wait to see the betrayal in her eyes. She'll think that you betrayed her."

"No" said Buffy.

"But don't worry" said the demon, "you'll have front row seats to the deaths of everyone you hold dear. Then when your mother and sister come back…. Oooh.. That's going to be really fun."

"Stay away from them!" screamed Buffy as the demon ran at her and punched which Buffy just managed to block before she stepped to the side and aimed a back handed fist to its head which connected.

"Finally" said the demon as it saw the anger in Buffy's eyes, "become angry, please."

"Glory" said Buffy as she struggled to stand, "need to stop Glory."

"I don't care" said the demon, "with the line of Slayers destroyed; I'll give her your sister. She'll bring hell here to this world."

"The Soul Reapers will stop her and then you" said Buffy.

"They can" said the demon, "they are gods as well. But do you really think they will beat you?"

"Yes" said Buffy.

"I can pretend to be you" said the demon, "I know all your habits, how you act, your mannerisms…. Everything. And when they leave this place. I can have my fun, no gods to get in my way. I will open the Hellmouth and rule here."

"Please stop" said Buffy.

"Say you give up" said the demon as it approached Buffy, "say you give up and offer your body to me, and I will end this."

"I…" said Buffy as she fell onto the ground and started to cry.

"It's simple" said the demon, "just give up, you are alone here. No one to help you, but I can. I can take away your pain; your soul will be in the darkest part of your mind so you'll never feel pain again."

"Why do you fight?" said another voice behind the demon.

"What?" said Buffy as she squinted her eyes to look past the flaming torches on the wall.

"Why do you fight?" said a woman that Buffy saw as her eyes started to slowly clear.

"She fights for herself" said the demon as she tuned to the woman, "just as you did, or have you forgotten."

"Silence" said the woman as she pushed the demon away and walked towards Buffy and crouched down.

"Buffy Summers…. The second Slayer….. the first Slayer to survive due to friendships" said the woman, "why do you fight?"

"I don't know" said Buffy as she looked at the woman. Looking from up close, she saw the face paint of the woman and the ragged dress she was wearing and recognized her, "I know you, don't I? I've seen you before, haven't I? In my dreams?"

"She doesn't even remember you" said the demon, "now leave, she has had her chance."

"Sister" said the woman as she stared at Buffy, "I cannot tell you why you must fight, but I believe you know in your heart why you must. Just remember this one thing, a slayer always fights in the darkness; a Slayer's home is in the darkness."

"What?" said Buffy confused as she looked up at the woman.

"Once a Slayer can conquer the darkness, she can bring the light" said the woman as she walked back and vanished.

"I thought she would never leave" said the demon as she approached Buffy, "now, where were we."

"I'll fight you" said Buffy as she slowly stood up.

"Bravado?" said the demon as it extended its blade and swung its arm at Buffy's head.

Buffy ducked the swing but not before grabbing onto the arm as the demon swung back at the blonde. She them swung the demon onto a wall that contained no shadows as she heard the wall crack.

'Darkness' thought Buffy to herself, 'did she mean using the darkness figuratively or….. crap, son of a bitch."

Buffy gave herself a small smile just as the demon slipped into a shadow. Before it could even reappear through another shadow, Buffy ran towards one of the torches on the wall and extinguished the fire just as the demon appeared from behind her and kicked her back. The kick flung Buffy to the other side of the cave.

"Give up" said the demon as it found another shadow to slip through which gave Buffy the change to extinguish two more of the torches on the wall as the cave started to slowly get covered in darkness.

"You first" said Buffy as she ran towards the demon as it swung both its swords at Buffy. Buffy managed to just slide under the swords before she got back up and ran full speed towards the final torch which she extinguished, plunging the entire cave in darkness.

"That was your great strategy?" said the demon as it looked around in the dark, "turn off all the lights?"

"Yes" said Buffy as she ducked a swing of the demon's sword before she punched its face and back flipped away.

'No light, no shadows you asshole' thought Buffy to herself, 'and thanks to Giles' training, I can actually fight in the dark.'

Buffy then remembered what Urahara had told her and Giles, that the excess leaking spiritual power from Ichigo would have strengthened her as well.

She closed her eyes and tried to use her enhanced senses to find out where the demon was.

'To my left' thought Buffy to herself as she ran towards the demon who had its back to Buffy kicked its back hard, making it fly and hit a wall before she stepped back and stood still. Controlling her breathing, she closed her eyes and used her senses to hear where the demon was.

Hearing footsteps running towards her, Buffy ducked as she heard the 'swish' of the sword being swung at her head, before she launched an uppercut with as much strength as she could muster. Buffy heard where the demon crashed and quickly ran towards it. She sensed that the demon landed on the left wall and she quickly ran towards it before she brought both her hands up and smashed them into the demon's chest.

'Ichigo' thought Buffy to herself as she started to pound the demon with her fists as she straddled it, 'I hope your spiritual energy can strengthen me, at least enough for this fight.'

Buffy continued to pound the demon with her fists as she slowly felt her strength increasing until she heard the crack of metal.

"No" said the demon as it swung its arm at Buffy. Even in the dark, Buffy managed to catch the arm and avoided the sword as it popped out. Buffy then grabbed the arm as she used all her strength to twist it around the demon as it now lay face down.

"You filth!" said Buffy as she twisted the arm back until she heard a popping sound, "you threatened my friends and family! And you thought that you could get away?"

Buffy heard the demon scream before she straddled its back and put one hand on the side of its head with another arm around its neck. She then pulled its upper body backwards.

"Stop" said the demon.

"No" said Buffy as she pulled back even more as she heard the armour crack thanks to her enhanced strength, 'Thank you, Ichigo. I should kiss you after this is done.'

"The shinigami" said the demon, "his power leaked into you."

"Took me some time to find it" said Buffy, "like that woman said, all it took was the darkness."

"I can help you" said the demon.

"No" said Buffy, "you threatened everyone I care about. You threatened my sister Slayer."

"You were going to kill her" said the demon as it yelped in pain again when Buffy leaned forward before quickly pulling the demon's upper back, backwards again.

"Maybe I was wrong" said Buffy, "I was angry with her and I used that anger to take me over and make mistakes."

"You'll be doing making the same mistake now" said the Demon.

"No" said Buffy, "what I do now is to protect my family and my friends and to do that… I will have control over you, you bitch!"

Suddenly in the darkness of the cave, the scream of a blonde haired slayer using her enhanced strength, which was further enhanced thanks to Ichigo's reiatsu, reverberated throughout the walls followed by the sound of a neck and armour snapping.

TBC


End file.
